Warriors for the Voiceless

Passion for the Planet TV is teaming up with ADI (Animal DefendersInternational) to highlight key animal welfare issues and bring them toa wider audience.

From 11th May, Passion for the Planet TV will be featuring ADI films'Save the Primates', 'Toto Goes Home', 'Big Cat Rescue', and 'StopCircus Suffering' which show the plights of primates in research and thesuffering of circus animals.

Following the disappointing result of the European Parliament vote on5th May, governing animal research and testing throughout the EU (knownas Directive 86/609), it is more important than ever to raise awarenessof plight of primates used in testing.

Jan Creamer, chief executive of ADI, is enthusiastic about thepartnership: "We welcome this initiative with Passion for the Planet TV,especially at this time when the use of primates in experiments raisesboth ethical and scientific concerns. Viewers will be able to see, inour campaign video, what this EU vote means to 10,000 primates a yearused in research in the EU and exposed to appalling inhumane conditions,when alternatives already exist that produce far more reliable results."

Chantal from Passion for the Planet TV, said: "This issue affects us allas primates are central to the ecosystem that we as humans depend on andtheir removal from their habitat for experiments, entertainment or thepet trade will signal the destruction of our planet. Passion for thePlanet TV is keen to help ADI highlight these issues and inform ouraudience about the impact of using primates and other animals in theseways."

The films also highlight the cruelty many wild animals endure incircuses across the world.

All four films will be available on demand on Passion for the Planet TVand will also be promoted via Passion for the Planet radio; the largestradio group in the UK focused on health and environmental issues.

Viewers are also being encouraged to give their views in an online pollasking whether animals in circuses should be banned and if it is everacceptable to experiment on primates? Visit: www.passionfortheplanet.com

Watch, on demand, at www.passionfortheplanet.com and via SomethingTVset-top boxes.

Passion for the Planet TV was launched in 2008. It is part of thealready well established group of Passion for the Planet radio stations(broadcasting on DAB digital radio and via the Internet). The companystarted six years ago when it launched the UK's first mainstream radiostations dedicated to providing solutions to help us all live greenerand healthier lives (long before it was trendy to be eco-friendly!)120,000 people tune in each week via DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting)and the Internet at www.passionfortheplanet.com.

Passion for the Planet TV is available on televisions via theSomethingTV internet protocol television (IPTV) set-top box service inthe UK; online via the SomethingTV virtual set-top box; and via theInternet at www.passionfortheplanet.com

Animal Defenders International (ADI)With offices in London and San Francisco, Animal Defenders International(ADI) is a major international campaigning group, lobbying on animalwelfare issues such as animals' use in experiments and entertainment;worldwide traffic in endangered species; conservation and pollution;factory farming and vegetarianism. ADI involves itself in internationalcampaigns to save primates from extinction and wild animal rescues aswell as educational work on conservation and the environment. ADI hasbecome a major force for animal protection and has succeeded through itsundercover investigations in securing legal protection for animals.ADI's evidence of the torment to animals has led to campaigns andlegislative action all over the world to protect them. ADI opposesviolence or intimidation whether directed at humans or other animals. http://www.ad-international.orgwww.savetheprimates.org

A SPECIAL CHANCE
FOR A HAPPY ENDING!From Missouri to New York with love

In a Mothers Day weekend to remember, Best Friends rescued 215 dogs
from Missouri puppy mills and transported them to New York for a new
leash on life.

These dogs, discarded from mills, include older dogs who were no longer
profitable breeders. And they include puppies with health issues who
didnt quite make the grade in the eyes of the breeder. If they
hadnt been rescued, these sweeties would most likely have been killed,
or sold at auction for as little as 25 cents.

This transport, called Pup My Ride, was just the first in what we hope will be several more rescue missions this year. Your support makes this work possible. Please click here

to help us save more lives.

Partnering
with National Mill Dog Rescue, we took Cocker Spaniels, Chihuahuas,
mini Pinchers, Jack Russell terriers and poodle mixes  all in high
demand in the New York/ New Jersey area  to North Shore Animal League
America and other local partners who will find just the right family
for each of them.

And, of course, a few of the dogs who
showed signs of more severe trauma are happy to be coming back with the
Best Friends crew to the quiet beauty of the Sanctuary in Utah to
receive some much-needed TLC.

national campaign. Were also targeting the retail end of commercial
breeding through peaceful, educational demonstrations at puppy stores.

If more people knew where the puppies in the pet stores and on the
Internet came from  born to over bred and neglected mama and papa dogs
like many of the ones saved this weekend  more people would choose to
adopt instead of supporting puppy mills through buying one giant leap
towards No More Homeless Pets!

The driving force behind all of this is the love and support from our
members around the country. And as this campaign ramps up around the
nation, we will need you more than ever! Please consider a special gift

I watched ABC's 20/20 show Friday night, and I have to tell you - I was shocked.

In what was perhaps one of the most irresponsible hours in television
history, ABC allowed reporter John Stossel to turn back the clock on
social progress by asking the following head-scratching, and frankly,
dangerous questions:

On Elderly Care: "Isnt it time America did less for the elderly?"

On Steroids: "Why not let adults take performance-enhancing drugs?"

On Working Moms: "What if pregnancy came with a pink slip?"

And of course, on tigers: "How do we save tigers and other endangered animals? Well here's an idea - let's eat them."

Well I have a question for ABC: Are you crazy?

Unfortunately, ABC decided to drop from the tiger story an interview
with IFAW's Grace Gabriel. Perhaps her comments made too much sense.

In that omitted interview, Grace explained that the way to save tigers
is through stricter enforcement of existing laws - only that will act
as a deterrent to poaching of wild tigers.

You decide - what makes more sense as an approach to saving tigers: eating them? Or enforcing laws to protect them?

If you agree with us that we can save tigers by protecting them and not
by eating them, please take a few moments to comment on 20/20's story,
and to write to the Chinese Embassy:

Dusty, I think you in particular, given you background, will find this so interesting. Remember, Bella, the pyr you donated to. Paige took her to A & M and they just shook their heads, they really would not even examine the dog. Well, Paige decided to treat her with this compound derived from bloodroot. In her update at poocini.com I found this site referenced which outlines many cases of animals treated this way. You will not believe some of the pictures. I warn you some are pretty graphic but they achieved amazing results. Note in particular the cat with the tumor on her nose and the horse with oral tumors. I just can't believe the way this stuff works. One of the vets mentioned in the articles Mark Ingram was my vet when I lived in Tennessee. It can be applied topically, orally, and injected. I wish I had known about it when my little Schnauzer had hermangiosarcoma. I believe I would have tried this. Traditional chemo is very ineffective and expensive so I really didn't consider it.

WASHINGTON (AFP)  The US restaurant chain T.G.I. Friday's has asked the New York State Police to open a criminal investigation into suspected product tampering after a severed snake head was found among vegetables.

According to a statement issued by the chain late Friday, the head was found among broccoli by a restaurant patron in Clifton Park, New York, last Sunday.

"This is obviously something we took very seriously and we
immediately pulled the product from all of our restaurants until an
investigation could be completed," said Amy Freshwater, vice president
of communication and public relations for Carlson Restaurants
Worldwide, the parent of T.G.I. Friday's.

As part of the investigation, the head was sent to an independent
laboratory for testing, and the lab said the snake's head was never
cooked.

It has been concluded that the head was placed in the food at some point after the cooking process, the company said.

"We don't know who was involved in this senseless act of product
tampering, but we are cooperating fully with the authorities and will
prosecute the individual or individuals involved to the fullest extent
of the law." Freshwater said.

by: SONYA COLBERG
NewsOK.comTuesday, May 05, 20095/5/2009 3:47:23 AMADA  The fate of old, abused and discarded
horses remains in limbo following a sheriff's sale of the Greener Pastures Horse
Rescue property on State Highway 99 south of Ada.

At the sale Friday, Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. bought back
property for $140,997, the court clerk's office said Monday.

A formal
confirmation of the sale is scheduled June 15. Rescue manager Elizabeth Munson
is expecting an eviction notice shortly afterward, giving her one or two months
to find someplace new for the nonprofit's 32 horses.

But the attorney
who is doing volunteer legal work for Greener Pastures said it's hard to say
what might happen now that the sheriff's sale is over.

"It's a quagmire
right now," said Tom Brown, a Tulsa attorney. He said once the sheriff issues
the deed to the Deutsche Bank National Trust Co., Munson might be able to rent
the property  56 acres plus a barn and house  or purchase it with help from
other people.

Brown said it likely will fall under the federal Troubled
Asset Relief Program rules, meaning the mortgage will be shopped around. The
Troubled Asset Relief Program was designed by Congress to remove bad mortgages
from financial institutions' books and put them on the federal government's
books.

"We're just desperately looking," Munson said. "The only reason I
want to stay here is because it fits my needs. It's hard to find enough shelter
for all these horses."

She said Monday she was struggling to get hay to
the horses because the property is halfway down a hill and persistent rain has
turned the pastures and horse pens into muddy messes.

She said she's had
to move the rescue horses seven times in four years and hopes the next location
will have fewer problems. She said she recently turned down an offer of 80 acres
near Atoka because the property has no water, fences or barns.

"It's
been a roller coaster, but it's not over," Munson said. "I don't know what we're
going to do."

*Indonesias ban on the export of wild-caught monkeys for research is a sham.*

LONDON ~ A recent investigation carried out by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) has highlighted the role of Indonesia in supplying non-human primates to the international research industry. It is a trade that undoubtedly inflicts great suffering on Indonesias macaques.

Moreover, it is not limited to the trade in research. A variety of primate species are also exploited and mistreated, for the pet, entertainment and food industries.

The findings of our investigation raise major concerns regarding animal welfare and compliance with Indonesian legislation as well as the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITEregulations. The situation becomes even more urgent because the Ministry of Forestry has increased trapping quotas for wild-caught long-tailed macaques three-fold from 5,100 in 2008 to an alarming 15,100 for 2009. This figure is contrary to the known decline in macaque populations worldwide.

Primate population studies represent a key tool to enable member states of CITES to safeguard the conservation status of threatened species and, in particular, to comply with their duties under CITES to ensure that the export of a species will not be detrimental to the survival of that species.

Our investigation, however, has revealed major concerns regarding the scientific validity and objectivity of primate population surveys carried out in Indonesia. Of particular concern was the claim that primate companies have funded population surveys and even accompanied scientific officials along with representatives from the Ministry of Forestry to carry out these surveys. Yet these are the very surveys used by the Indonesian authorities as the basis for deciding what numbers of macaques can be taken from the wild.

Exactly
like man does with garbage, in the same way the residents of the
malaysian island Pulau Ketam have decided to take care of the 'dogs
surplus' problem."What to do with them?" "Uhm" - the smart one of the
village answered - "I think i have a great idea! You remember that
isolated and unlivable island we saw the other day?Well, lets just
gather all the dogs and dump them there! Sure they

I found an interesting article this morning in the Telegraph.co.uk
about the use of dog shock collars. There has been controversy over
these collars for a long time, advocates think its a great training
tool while opponents feel they are cruel.

Recently a man in Oregon was arrested for using shock collars on his
kids. Hes in custody charged with criminal mistreatment of his four
children.

After seeing this Peter Wedderburn, writer of the article, wonders why is it alright to use on dogs but criminal to use on children.

My question today is: if its not OK to use these in
children, why should it be acceptable to use them to train dogs? The
video report of the case states that some dog trainers justify their
use by saying that dogs have a higher pain threshold than humans.
This is news to me - how do you think theyve worked that out? Give a
dog an electric shock, then ask the dog how much does that hurt? Then
compare the dogs response with a human?

Electric shock collars are used on dogs by some to apply an electric
shock to the dogs neck when a dog behaves incorrectly. The shocks,
understandably, cause pain and confusion for the dog, affecting it
physically and mentally. Theres no doubt that electric shock collars
have a powerful effect, but theres also no doubt that theyre cruel.

New research published by the University of Pennsylvania has shown
that aggressive pets which are trained using confrontational or
aversive methods (such as electric shocks) by their owners will
continue to be aggressive unless training techniques are modified. The
year-long study, which has been published in the February 2009 issue of
Applied Animal Behaviour Science showed that using non-aversive or
neutral training methods such as additional exercise or rewards
elicited very few aggressive responses.

The Kennel Club has been campaigning for many years to have the sale
and use of electric shock collars banned, and at last, some progress
may be about to happen.

The Welsh government is making big strides in getting electric shock
collars banned, including mats and leads. On their website you can review the draft regulation, you may make a submission before May 27th.

The Kennel Club is encouraging Welsh dog owners to
respond, and to contact their local Assembly Member to ensure that
effective legislation is drafted.

If youve ever watched a video of a human trying out one of these
collars for fun you can see they soon realize exactly how much pain
this device can cause. As Wedderburn stated, humans have the choice to
remove the offending device, dogs dont.

In the last 60 days, nearly 100,000 of our supporters signed petitions to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar urging him to rescind Bush's 11th-hour special polar bear rule. Thank you for all your help to get the word out to your networks and for signing the petition.

I'm writing to let you know that today Salazar confirmed our worst fears for his tenure as Secretary of the Interior -- he announced that he will adopt Bush's polar bear extinction plan, a "special rule" sharply limiting protections for the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act, as his own.

Salazar's decision to keep the Bush rule is a terrible blow to polar bears and the future of their Arctic habitat.

When Salazar responded last week to requests from you, as well as scientists, legal experts, and lawmakers around the country to revoke Bush's nationwide Endangered Species Act regulations, we knew his job was only half done. And his decision today cynically denies the polar bear the full protections it needs to survive.

The 60-day opportunity approved by Congress for Salazar to revoke the Bush extinction plan with the stroke of a pen has passed, but we're not giving up. The Center for Biological Diversity is already challenging the polar bear extinction plan in court. We will now ask the judge in that case to throw out this illogical and illegal rule, and will continue to pressure the Obama administration to use our nation's most successful law for the protection of plants and animals on the brink of extinction to fully protect the polar bear.

In the face of this bad news I also want to let you know how impressed we have been by the dedication and actions of our supporters to speak out for polar bears and the Endangered Species Act in the last two months. Thank you for your extraordinary efforts. We will continue to count on your support in the months to come. And you can count on us to keep you updated as our legal case develops.

ABC's TV show 20/20 is doing a segment on tiger farms tonight - but what they say might make you furious

Factory farming of tigers in row after row of enclosures at the Guilin Xiongsen Bear & Tiger Farm, South West China.

/>/>

Dear Sue,

ABC's TV show 20/20 will be doing a story tonight where their reporter, John Stossel, will suggest that tiger farming is a good idea.

Seriously.

Tiger farming is anything BUT a good idea. In fact, it's a very bad idea. IFAW exposed the criminal activities involved in tiger farming for trade and its devastating effect on wild tigers in this 2007 report: "Made in China-Farming Tigers to Extinction."

You might be asking why tigers would ever be farmed in the first place. Good question - and there's a simple answer:

Tiger farms exist to make money for wealthy businessmen who want to re-open the trade in tiger parts so that they can generate profits.

The businessmen who own tiger farms would like to fool us into thinking - as apparently they did Mr. Stossel - that tiger farming is the only way to save this doomed species.

Here's where their logic is dangerously off course:

Tiger farming actually encourages poaching. It's a simple case of economics:Cost to farm a tiger = $4,000 to $10,000Cost to kill a wild tiger = cost of a bulletWhich option do you think many providers of tiger products would prefer? The cheaper one, of course. So they'll hunt and kill wild tigers, and then sell the tiger parts at the same market where farmed tiger parts would be sold. Why wouldn't they? It's easy to see how tiger farming actually contributes to poaching, and could ultimately lead to the extinction of this majestic and vital species.

Tigers raised on farms never develop the skills they need to survive in the wild. How could they learn to hunt in the wild when they are hand-fed and kept in cages on a farm? Plus, tigers on farms are in-bred and "speed-bred" - tiger farmers even separate the baby tigers from their mothers early so the mothers can breed again. Again, tigers on farms are bred for profit, not conservation.

A tiger-shaped bottle, containing tiger bone wine./>/>

But here's where the story ultimately and dangerously misleads: the simple solution to saving wild tigers is not tiger farming - it's the strengthening and enforcement of existing laws.

Although there has been a ban in tiger trade for over a decade, it is not being enforced strongly enough. As long as these factory tiger farms are allowed to flaunt the law, wild tigers will remain perilously close to extinction.

Sue, I can't tell you how troubled I am that 20/20 would appear to side with this profits-at-all-costs approach.

Plain and simple, allowing the trade of parts from farmed tigers will generate profits for a handful of rich individuals - at the expense of wild tigers.

In the coming days I will update you on our efforts to save wild tigers, and let you know what you can do to protect this highly endangered and important species.

This week, Members of the European Parliament
voted to update the 20-year old EU law on animal experiments (Directive
86/609).

The European Commission published a number of forward-thinking
proposals, but sustained lobbying by pharmaceutical and other animal
research industries has had a devastating impact. While many MEPs did
their best to protect animals, it is particularly disappointing that
the Parliament as a whole fell short.

The Parliament voted against restricting scientists' freedom to
experiment on monkeys, even for experiments with no direct application
to improving human health, and against a phase-out of 'F1' generation
primates (off-spring of wild-caught primates).

However, despite these losses there is still cause for hope. MEPs did
vote to set an upper limit on levels of pain animals can endure, to
extend the scope of the law to regulate all (not just some) animal
experiments, and to establish EU and national centres for developing
non-animal alternatives.

Our campaign is by no means over. The proposed new law will now be
discussed by the Council of Ministers, where representatives of EU
Member State governments will decide which measures they want the
legislation to contain.

We will continue to press for improvements that will prevent suffering
and accelerate the replacement of all animal experiments - the Make
Animal Testing History campaign will be taking its message to the
Council of Ministers in the coming days, and we are determined to
achieve a better deal for animals and humane science.

"This has been an uphill struggle so far." says Marie-Claire Macintosh for Make Animal Testing History "The
animal research industry has used every trick available to dissuade
MEPs from better protecting animals used in experiments. It's clear
that EU citizens reject animal suffering and support the future of
humane science so it's vital that we don't lose our resolve for the
next stage in this campaign."

Click here for our full response in English, French, German and Spanish.

The Erasmus, PA puppy mill, Almost Heaven Kennel, was again denied a 2009 kennel license. Hallelujah!

In October of 2008Derbe Skip Eckharts
kennel or more appropriately, puppy mill, which goes by the disturbing
name of Almost Heaven was raided after months of undercover
investigation. The scene could only be described as hell, rather than
the heaven the name implies. Deplorable conditions; animals in their
own waste, sick, neglectd and malnourished as well as dead dogs, cats,
and more.

Eckhart, who has violations dating back more than 2 decades, had his kennel license revoked
at the time. Since then he has been in and out of court trying to get
his license back and trying to get his 2009 kennel license.

In the latest chapter of this saga, state secretary of agriculture
this week upheld a ruling denying a 2009 kennel license to Derbe Skip
Eckhart.

The secretarys decision to uphold the
license refusal will hopefully mean a swift end to Almost Heaven kennel
and will help ensure that the owner never operates a kennel in
Pennsylvania again, said Jessie Smith, the states special deputy
secretary for dog law enforcement. Mr. Eckhart did not make the dogs
welfare a priority in running his kennel and his continued refusal to
follow the limitations placed on him since his license was refused
makes it clear that closing his kennel is the best course of action.

He has 30 days to appeal this latest decision, which of course he
will do. This is a man who will not be happy unless he is torturing
animals and reaping profits off their neglected and abused bodies. Must
give him some sick thrill. Theres no question that hes in this for
the love of animals, not with his cruel background. I think he should
just be subject to the same condition he forces animals to live in and
see how he fares.

The sad thing is Eckhart still has animals and seems to still be in
business to one degree or another. What is it gonna take to shut this
bastard down for good?!

[Eckhart's lawyer] noted a federal lawsuit filed by the
Professional Dog Breeders Council, an association of 325 dog breeders
based in Royersford, Montgomery County. According to an agreement after
that complaint was filed, the department lifted a ban prohibiting
Eckhart from selling dogs. He is prohibited from buying or bringing
more dogs into the kennel.

On May 1, a district judge ordered Eckhart to face trial on charges
of violating terms of his kennel license refusal order, which barred
him from operating a boarding kennel, among other restrictions. Eckhart
was found to be boarding dogs on Feb. 11 when state dog wardens
inspected the kennel, the department said.

In the latest kennel inspection, inspectors on March 16 found four
dogs that showed signs of illness or lameness out of 348 in the kennel.
Eckhart was ordered to get medical treatment for the animals. (The Morning Call)

Just in case you don't know, it has been reported that the killing of kangaroos at Majura has begun. The report says that it started on Tuesday and that the numbers have suddenly gone up to11, 000 kangaroos on this site and they (Gov.) want them reducing to 3,000. It has been stated that the animals are starving!!!!!!!!

I was under the impression that nothing would happen until after 11 May deadline for KMP comments! If they are killing kangas before the report has had its time out for consultation, aren't they breaking some kind of law out there? A law that prohibits them from action until after the consultation period?

They have supplied conflicting details about numbers, they have started the killing before 11 May, they have stated that the animals are starving.

A Dogster member passed this on to me and when I took a look I was shocked to see it happened right near where I live.

A police officer shot and killed a dog who bit him while walking unleashed with her owner.

The owner of a dog shot and killed by an Acworth police officer says his four-legged best friend, Tomato, wasnt vicious.

She just showed up one Christmas Eve - a cold little puppy - and never left my side from then on, Bower Taylor said Wednesday.

Tomato, a 39-pound Rottweiler-shepherd mix, was shot to death after she bit an officer on the knee more than a week ago.

Acworth police have said the officer was justified in shooting the unrestrained dog.

He did what he had to do, Officer Wayne Dennard said.

Taylor, a teacher, even took his pet to his school as part of a how-to writing lesson called How to Train Your Dog.

She could be unleashed and hang out with 140 groping, jumpy 13-year-olds, no problem, Taylor said.

The officer was on foot on Academy Street, near Acworth Beach, when he was bitten by Tomato.

Cobb County has a leash law, Taylor was issued a citation by animal
control. He now owes $500 in fines. The officer bitten is fine, Tomato
is still dead.

I realize how important leash laws are, they are there for a reason.
Exactly to prevent what happened from happening. What if Tomato went
after a child, who knows what injury the child would have sustained.

However, it says the dog bit the officer and was shot. I have to
wonder if he was bit and Tomato let go and was shot or if she was
attacking the officer. Yes, there is a difference to me. If she bit him
and let go why couldnt mace have been used? Was it necessary to kill
the dog? If the dog was in full out attack mode that is totally
different.

The bottom line is the dog paid for the mistake of the owner. I
just wish I didnt have a question hanging over me when it comes to the
justification of the action taken by the officer.

Update
May 7: The North Carolina House Agriculture Committee has voted to pass
HB 27.

The original bill was re-written, and the final language was
withheld from the public until after the vote. Go
here for a copy.

The secrecy was probably to limit protests. This bill now sanctions the
use of CO gas for killing all shelter animals. In fact, CO gas chambers is
now one of 2 methods that must be used in killing shelter animals. CO gas
chambers would be elevated by HB 27 as not only an acceptable means of
killing shelter animals but one sanctioned and even preferred by the state. This
bill will mean it is less likely that North Carolina shelters will stop using
gas chambers.

The other method of euthanasia allowed is intravenous or intraperitoneal
injection of sodium pentobarbital or an equivalent drug.

Under HB
27 a veterinarian, certified euthanasia technician or a probationary CET
working under the supervision of a veterinarian, has complete discretion to
choose the method of killing: CO gas chambers or lethal injection. A
log must be kept of the method of killing used for each animal, the
identity of the person performing the killing and the reason for the
particular method.

This move to entrench the use of CO gas chambers by public shelters should
probably come as no surprise. Ralph Houser, DVM, manufactures gas
chambers and also sells them to North Carolina shelters and instructs them on
their use. He sits on the North Carolina Animal Rabies Control
Association. For more on
Houser, go here. Houser together with North Carolina Veterinary
Medical Association, Farm Bureau, North Carolina Association of County
Commissioners and the state Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services, worked
on HB 27 to assure the continuation of CO gas chambers in North Carolina's
animal shelters.

The following is from one
of the proponents of the pro-gas chamber legislation. In his own words, he
considers North Carolinians who wanted a total ban on the gas chamber to be a
"fringe element."

Dear Friend of NC
Animals,

I am excited to inform you that the legislation we authored to address the gassing of
dogs and cats in North Carolina passed the House committee today. I do not yet
know the vote count.

Despite the shameful actions of some fringe elements
of the NC animal community, we were able to come up with a piece of legislation
which accomplishes many of the goals we set out and even some further goals we
never envisioned getting included, which we did succeed in incorporating into
this legislation.

If we can move this legislation over the next week
(there is another deadline next week), we will then be able to discuss in detail what
it accomplishes and how. For now, however, please continue to keep this
confidential as the despicable
actions of the fringe element of the NC animal community must not be allowed to
derail such historic legislation on behalf of NC dogs and cats.

If you care for bottle babies, you can't afford to miss this opportunity. A large manufacturer of kitten and puppy milk-replacer is giving pallets of their formula away to rescues and shelters for free.

The Queen of All Media announced recently that she wanted to helpcash-strapped families in the recession by putting a chicken on everytable, courtesy of Kentucky Fried Chicken (knowing her history, shecertainly wouldn't be handing out free burgers). Though it may havebeen a benevolent gesture to help out Americans going through toughtimes, the move may not have been a wise one for her image.

Oprah is now dodging criticism about her choice to promote KFC due toher stance on animal cruelty. KFC sources its chicken from Tyson,which uses controlled animal feeding operations (CAFOs) - dark andtightly-packed coops where the chickens are often unable to stand upor move. Oprah did a special last year on the hazards of factoryfarming, which you can check out here.

Library Mall is going to the dogs, and stressed-out students
will be glad for it.

The Pet Therapy study break on the University of
Wisconsin-Madison campus will be on Wednesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Library
Mall at the western end of State Street, with staff from University Health
Services bringing their dogs to the mall so students can pet and play with the
puppies.

The "counseling canines" are intended to reduce the stress that
students can feel heading into final exams.

Counselors from the UHS
Counseling and Consultation Services will also be on hand to give advice to
students on how to lighten their load.

"Taking brief study breaks, even
five minutes an hour, can reduce stress and help you recall information," said
Rob Sepich, student relations manager at UHS.

Believe it or not, sleep
should be a top priority, and the "all-nighter" should be shunned, UHS
says.

"Some of the most successful students I know have made sleep their
top priority," Sepich said. "Forget the all-nighter and you'll probably reap the
benefits of sleep on your exams."

How can you reduce stress during
finals?

UHS recommends setting attainable goals by striving for
excellence instead of perfection. Also, lay off the caffeine, try to attain
success rather than avoiding failure, find something to laugh about, tell
yourself you have enough time instead of wasting time dwelling on how little
time is left, and ask for assistance through stressed-out times by turning to
friends, family, faculty and UHS staff.

UW-Madison students can get
one-on-one counseling for free at UHS by calling 265-5600. Massage therapy
costing $40 for 50 minutes is also available by calling the same number or going
online through "MyUHS."

Michelle Stocker/The Capital Times

UW student Claire Rumler greets Sadie, a British
Staffordshire, during last year's Pet Therapy event on the Library Mall.

Mother's Day is a traditional time to raise awareness about the veal
issue because the baby calves are taken away from their mothers at
birth, confined in crates, and then slaughtered at 16 weeks of age. But
did you know about the connection between the dairy industry and the
veal industry? read more

As most of you know Bea Arthur passed away recently, but you may not have known was she was an animal rights advocate.

The animal protection community lost a wonderful advocateand
generous philanthropist last week, when Bea Arthur passed away. Since
the 80s Arthur has lent her fame to a number of animal welfare causes.
She advocated against wearing fur, gave her support to a campaign
against KFC, became a spokesperson for the effort to end horse abuse in
the production of premarin, and she raised significant amounts of funds
for charity. To acknowledge her many contributions over her lifetime,
PETA made her an honorary director.

Getting Involved:
Bea became involved in animal issues in 1987, after recording an
anti-fur episode of Golden Girls. She soon became a member of PETA. She
said, at one time I used to wear fur. It never entered my mind how fur
got to be fur. I just thought you go to the store and you get a fur
coat. It wasnt until later that I said, I cant do this. This is
obscene.

Beas Advice:
Heres what the sassy actress had to say to people who want to do
something for animals: get involved at ground level. Start by
neutering and spaying animals. You begin by just being aware and just
do what you can. Just pick up the goddamn newspaper everyday and read
something and find out whats happening. And do something about it. Or
try to do something about it.

I dont think youll find better advice than Bea Arthurs. I have
no doubt her death will leave a big void in the animal welfare
community.

There is nothing I like more than a dog hero story, thanks to Yukikofor
barking this one to me. A very brave dog protected his owners from a
mountain lion that attacked while they were hiking in the Santa Ana
Mountains.

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. - A mountain lion attacked and nearly killed a dog that defended its owners Tuesday on a trail in the Santa Ana Mountains.

The dog was severely mauled in the stomach area and rushed to a
veterinary hospital for surgery, said Orange County sheriffs spokesman
Jim Amormino. The 5-year-old black Labrador mix named Hoagie underwent
a four-hour operation and was expected to survive, he said.

William Morse told KABC-TV that he was hiking with his wife near a
campground in the Cleveland National Forest, about 10 miles from Lake
Elsinore, when a 120-pound mountain lion approached.

By all accounts, the 3-month-old pit bull puppy at Loudoun County's
animal shelter was a happy, sociable and gentle dog. He didn't fit the
breed's vicious image. The brown-and-white puppy jumped up on shelter
employees' laps and loved to play. In evaluations, workers described
him as "silly," "wiggly" and "very lovey."

Unfortunately for him, he made a few key mistakes in two required
behavioral assessments in July 2007. Most puppies would have survived
the gaffes, several animal rescue groups allege. But this puppy -- he
didn't have a name, only a county-issued identification number, 43063
was a pit bull in Loudoun County, the only Northern Virginia
jurisdiction that prohibits public adoptions of the breed. So he was
euthanized.

The county's decision to put the dog to sleep, along with 213 others
since January 2006, was at the center of a two-day civil trial in
Loudoun County Circuit Court about whether Loudoun violated state and
local laws that give people the right to adopt the dog of their choice
from a publicly funded shelter. Arguments in the case concluded
yesterday.

The men are accused of throwing two daschunds on Tuesday into a fenced
area in Leoni Township containing two pit bulls, according to a
sheriff's office news release.

Pit bulls began to attack the dogs, which were retrieved by their
owners, two women who had tried to leave the dogs with the men. They
were not seriously hurt.

The women, friends of the men, called 911 and when deputies arrived to
the home in the area of Hoyer and Flansburg roads, two of the men,
both 20 and of Michigan Center, fled out of a window and into a wooded
area.

This is a vet supply that I order a lot of dog supplies from for my animals. Good for them for helping:

KV Vet Supply donates needed medical and nutritional supplies to rescue effort for neglected herd.David City, NE April 29, 2009: When news of the dire situation at the 3-Strikes Mustang Ranch in Bridgeport, NE broke on Tuesday, April 21, few employees at KV Vet Supply in David City, NE realized how close to home the story from 370 miles away would hit. But Dr. Richard Porter DVM, of KV Vet Supply immediately recognized the ranch owner as the man who had taken one of his horses. I was worried sick for my Quarter Horse gelding Best Hobby Yet said Dr. Porter, "The reports from the ranch were not good."

And there was plenty of bad news to make him worry. Initial reports from the mustang rescue ranch, indicated more than 60 horses dead and at least 100 in critical condition. Morrill County sheriff's deputies had discovered the horses, living in crowded, filthy pens without access to proper food or fresh water. They were severely emaciated and suffering from overgrown hooves and other medical conditions. The final count would increase to 74 dead and 211 sick. "It was a terrible situation," stated Dr. Porter "This man took my horse without authorization. Then he disappears off the radar only to show up again in this nightmare."

While waiting for news of his horse, Dr. Porter joined KV Vet Supply's effort to assist the rescue operation. One hundred and seventy-five pounds of Safe-Guard wormer was immediately shipped to the site to treat the severe worm infestation in the herd. And after consultation with Dr. Raymond Metzner, owner of KV Vet Supply, an additional shipment of needed supplies including Gluquestrian, BCAA Complex 2, Antioxidant Formula, Brace Yourself, AniFlex, FasTrack, Apple Horse Snacks, Lamina Saver, Kopertox and Venice Turpentine is being shipped out. And KV also worked with officials from Farnam Companies, Inc. to coordinate a shipment of 100lbs. of Equi Aid Natural Psyllium fiber to help the horses pass the sand that had been ingested at the sparsely vegetated sandhills ranch.

Volunteers from two horse rescue groups and other community volunteers moved the living but sickly animals to the local fairgrounds over a three day period to receive treatment. Three veterinarians led the horses move and eight veterinary students from the University of Nebraska and Iowa State University photographed and examined the horse, and treated them for parasites.

It wasn't until April 21st that Dr. Porter received news of his horse. "I was relieved to say the least," he said. Dr. Porter's horse was among the 211 surviving animals. "And I'm thankful for all those who responded so quickly to the rescue effort. And it's an ongoing effort. I estimate my horse is at least 150 to 200 pounds underweight and will take several months to gain that weight back. It's going to be a long road for all these animals. With 74 dead animals its a tragic situation really. We're fortunate to have the opportunity to help save as many animals a s we can."

I received a very interesting email regarding legislation change happening in the UK, replacing the Dangerous Dogs Act with the Dog Control Bill.

According to Lord Redesdale,
the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was a reaction to high profile attacks and
partly thanks to this, irresponsible dog owners now pick bull breeds as
some sort of status symbol, breeding them to be tough and leading to
animal welfare concerns.

Claire Robinson, the RSPCAs Government Relations Manager, said:

The RSPCA is delighted at the introduction of the Dog Control Bill
by Lord Redesdale in the House of Lords. The Society has long stated
that the Dangerous Dogs Act is flawed because it penalises dogs for
their breed, rather than the deed of the owner.

The Dog Control Bill instead places the emphasis on owners being
responsible for their dogs - whatever the breed - in public and private
places. For this reason the RSPCA has given its support to the
principles of the Bill. The cross-party support the reading of the Bill
received clearly shows there is widespread belief it is time the
Government took another look at the current dog legislation and we
believe the Dog Control Bill is a major step towards this.

Im also a believer that the problem with vicious dogs has more to
do with the owner than the dog. The spotlight needs to be taken away
from wiping out the bully breeds by instituting BSL and focused on
making owners take responsibility for their dogs. When a dog gets
taken away usually its put down, the owner on the other hand gets a
slap on the wrist. Until the penalties become painful to the owners
dont expect them to step up to the plate.

It would be great to see this kind of legislation pass in the US. Give me a bark and let me know what you think.

"I'm in a wheelchair, and he would always jump up on me and let me love on him and rub his belly," York said.

York's beloved black cat disappeared two weeks ago. So she called
Dallas Animal Services."The person came back on line and told me that
he had been euthanized. I was just shocked," she said.

York said Nelson stumbled into a trap for strays at her North Dallas
apartment complex. Employees there confirmed that animal services
picked up a black cat.

"Everyday I come home and he's not there. It's heartbreaking," she said.

Dallas Animal Services officials now say they mistakenly told York that
her cat had been put down. Instead, Manager Kent Robertson said the
city-run shelter euthanized a completely different black cat that was
feral and trapped the same day in the same apartment complex.

"It could not be handled. It was actually aggressive in the cage when
humans came into the area. Anybody who went in there had a problem with
that cat," said Robertson.

After looking at pictures and video of Nelson, Robertson assured CBS 11
that York's cat was not put down. He says the cat that was seized and
then euthanized was wild and violent.

CBS 11 showed the same pictures and video to three employees at York's
apartment complex. All three identified Nelson as the only cat taken
away that day by animal services.

"When we came up to the cage, the cat backed up a little," said Heather
Farmer, apartment complex employee. "You could tell it was scared, but
it's just meowed. It didn't hiss or scratch or anything like that. It
was not aggressive."

York is also upset that no one checked for Nelson's tracking
micro-chip. Officials with Dallas Animal Services say the cat it seized
was too aggressive to check for one, even after waiting 24 hours.

"They need to change some of the things that they're doing, because it's not right," said York.

The International Primate Protection League expresses its condolences to Carole's two sisters who watched over her to the end and to all her family and friends, and to the
caregivers and staff of Save the Chimps. I remember Carole from her student days when she lived at a little house on Boynton Beach, Florida, with a great little Italian restaurant nearby. I remember her many visits to IPPL. Although she worked with chimpanzees, she had a soft spot for gibbons and monkeys and all animals. There was always a rescued stray dog around!

The closure of the ghastly Coulston Foundation (which held around 300 chimpanzees) and its takeover by Save the Chimps was an enormous accomplishment made possible especially by Carole's determination and the generosity of the Arcus Foundation. Carole had a wonderful staff and I have no doubt that the task of transferring the chimps remaining in New Mexico to the wonderful facility in Florida will take place before too long.

Those wishing to leave a tribute in Carole's legacy book should visit,

thanking him for his tough prosecution of alleged animal abuser Allison
Dinsmore, and encouraging a strong and meaningful sentence upon
conviction.

Florida middle school teacher Allison Dinsmore is facing felony charges of animal cruelty for allegedly abandoning her two cats for weeks, leaving them to die horrible deaths by starvation in her apartment.
Dinsmore reportedly cited her busy work schedule, long commute and a
camping trip as reasons for her failure to see to the cats' needs.

Thank him for his work to date on the case and encourage a strong and
meaningful sentence upon conviction. A court date of May 15, 2009 is
currently set; locals are encouraged to support the prosecution by
attending court proceedings. Court information

But these two dog lovers, who are owned by three rescued dogs,
didnt do the easy thing when they witnessed a stray black lab get hit
by a car last week.

Instead, Jonathan, a mortgage consultant in Mooresville, darted
across traffic and scooped the injured dog into his arms. The dog, in
pain and scared, did what many dogs in those circumstances do - she bit
Jonathan. He still clung to the dog, returning to his vehicle. From
there, he and Heather rushed the canine to Lake Norman Animal Hospital.

Several surgeries later, the dog Heather named Shadow is defying the
odds and is recovering. Its been expensive for Jonathan and Heather,
but theyve been helped by a group called Friends of the Animals, and
contributions poured in for Shadows care.

Thus far, of the more than $6,400 Shadows care has cost, donations
have covered some $2,400 and they have faith the rest will come in.

Shadows remarkable story began when Heather, driving on Interstate
77 near exit 36, spotted the dog in a ravine just off the side of the
interstate. I tried to get her to come to me but she was scared,
Heather said.

Heather picked up the cell phone and called Jonathan, who was in a business meeting in his office nearby.

He told his clients he had to go and drove to the ramp. Within
minutes, Shadow got hit. Thats the worst sound Ive ever heard, he
said.

She dragged herself across two lanes of interstate traffic into the median, and Jonathan went to get her.

Even though he got bit for his efforts, Jonathan didnt give up.

After Shadow was stabilized at Lake Norman Animal Hospital, the
Brinkers took her to Carolina Vet Specialists in Mecklenburg County.

There, Dr. Jason Balara operated on her to take care of her shattered pelvis.

Remarkably, despite getting hit by a car at about 60 mph, Shadow suffered no other injuries.

Told it would cost around $5,000 to repair Shadows pelvis, Jonathan and Heather didnt hesitate.

It may be a bit crazy to try to save a dog that we do not even know, but it is simply the right thing to do, he said.

Looking into her eyes, Heather said, they knew they had to give this animal a chance.

When Shadow recovers sufficiently she will go to the Brinkers until
they can find her a forever home. Since they already have three rescues
they feel Shadow will be better off with a family where she will
receive more one- on- one attention.

In the interim Shadow is going to need costly rehabilitation therapy
so that she will be able to resume a normal life. Want to help?

Anyone wishing to contribute to Shadows care can do so through the Friends of Animals Web side at friendsoftheanimals.net
or by calling Carolina Vet Specialists at (704) 949-1100. Donations on
the Friends of Animals Web site can be made via Pay Pal and are tax
deductible. Please indicate the donation is for Shadow.

On Friday in Wheaton, MO there is a dog auction that will be
taking place to sell off puppy mill dogs. If youre wondering what a
dog auction is youre not alone. It wasnt until we got our Berner
Logan that I even heard of such a thing.

Our boy Loganwas bought at auction by the Bernese Auction Rescue Coalition (BARC).
He was around 4-years-old , lived his whole life in a 2×4 cage, had
been horribly mistreated and used as a stud dog at a puppy mill. The
breeder decided he was no longer worth keeping and discarded him as a
flea and tick infested 64 pound sack of garbage. If BARC hadnt come
along he could have been bought by someone else who would have abused
him, or if he went unsold most likely hed have been put down.

So when you read this story keep in mind its about donating to save
the life of an innocent dog, not to put money in the mill owners bank
accounts. Sometimes to do the right thing you have to look at the end
result, in this case saving a life, and not focus on how you got there.

As some of you may know, we protested Jessies Pet
Paradise (whose owner is now in the criminal court system for - among
other things - animal cruelty). The mill supplying Jessies was Prairie Bark Kennels in downtown Denver. The fact that this mill was in the middle of Denver outraged many dog lovers.

Without the pet store selling his animals, PBK cannot make it financially. So they are liquidating the animals at the SW Kennel auction in Wheaton, Missouri.

We are raising funds to help buy back some of the old and feeble
dogs at auction. A mill auction expert will help bid on our dogs. $20
will buy an old dog who otherwise might be discarded (murdered). Any
and all money collected will be used to buy dogs and bring them back to
Colorado where shelters and rescues are waiting to take them in and
change their lives forever. No longer will they live in cages but will
have the chance to be adopted into loving home.

Now I know what you are all thinking and thanks for even reading
this. You are thinking no money should be given to these mill owners.
Believe me we understand but many of us have laid awake at night
thinking about this mill. We have worked with Isaac at Denver Animal
Control and he has been going in there almost weekly advocating for
these dogs. Some of us have gone down to PBK and have had dogs brought
out from the back room and we have seen how feeble they are, how afraid
of humans they are.

And somewhere, somehow people have got to stop it. Coloradans are
coming together as never before to stop these dogs laboring away in
puppy mills in Missouri.

Enough is enough.

Please help raise awareness about this issue happening in
our own backyard. Auction is Friday, May 8th. RMAD is a charity so
donations are tax deductible.

On
March 11, just hours after a devastating kennel fire at the Fairfax Hunt in
Leesburg, Barbara Hutcherson of the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation was
given a choice: Accept responsibility for six badly burned foxhounds or allow
them to be put to sleep.

Sapphire, Ranger, Reckon, Duchess, Rascal and Ramey
faced extensive treatment for burns, smoke inhalation and blood loss. Two would
require a month of hospitalization, with an overall cost exceeding $15,000. But
as Hutcherson looked around the room, watching dogs labor for breath while
technicians applied salve, administered transfusions and fashioned makeshift
oxygen masks, there was really no choice at all, she said.

"I have seen a lot, but nothing quite like
that," Hutcherson recalled. "I was stunned. Really, just watching
Duchess struggle for breath was really difficult more than anything else. But
it cemented my decision that I had to do whatever I could."

Nearly two months later, all the dogs have recovered,
or nearly so, and are ready to find their "forever" homes. Their
burns are not fully healed, and some are still on antibiotics and pain medicine
and must have burn salve applied several times a day. But they are all out of
the hospital and living with foster families, growing stronger and more
comfortable with each day, Hutcherson said.

Sapphire, Ranger and Reckon even ventured out this past
weekend for an afternoon with dog lovers at the annual Reston Pet Fiesta, where
a few hundred pets and their owners strolled past exhibits of specialty gear
and displays by rescue organizations. Sapphire, a skittish foxhound with a
burnt-pink nose and raw wounds still healing on her hind flank, even strolled
across the festival stage in the pet fashion show.

Hutcherson said people interested in the hounds should
contact Lost Dog (http://www.lostdogrescue.org)
to begin the adoption process. They should be ready to take extra care of
still-healing wounds -- and to give extra love to still-raw nerves, she said.

The foundation is also seeking donations to help
offset the costs of medical treatment.

A
coalition of animal welfare groups (European Coalition to End Animal
Experiments) across Europe has launched a
scathing attack
on MEPs following their decision in Strasbourg today on the revision of
the
animal experiments directive.

The
Parliament has significantly weakened the already inadequate proposals
of the
European Commission to revise the 23 year old law. If the Parliament
gets its
way:

-Researchers
could be allowed to cause animals suffering which is both severe
and prolonged, an
obscenity in a civilised society

-They
will be allowed to repeatedly use the
same animal in painful experiments

-They
will be able to use non-human primates for just about any purpose, not
simply
life-threatening or debilitating diseases as the Commission proposed

-There
will be no incentive to stop the capture of primates in the wild, which
causes
them immense distress, for breeding for research

-Researchers
will in effect be allowed to determine for which experiments they need
governmental permission, by deciding how to categorise the likely
suffering

-They
will not have to carry out retrospective assessments of experiments 
whether
from the animal welfare or scientific point of view  in the vast
majority of
cases

-There
will be no strategy to bring forward the day when animal experiments no
longer
take place, as everyone claims they want

Michelle
Thew, chief
executive of the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments, commented:

MEPs have
shown themselves to be completely
out of step with public opinion. A recent opinion survey by YouGov
across 6 EU
countries found overwhelming support to end the use of primates, cats
and dogs
in experiments causing suffering, and animal experiments to be allowed
- if at
all - only for serious human
illnesses. The Parliament has produced a charter for the multibillion
pound
animal research industry to carry on business as usual, with scant
regard
either for animal welfare or public opinion.

The
struggle for justice for the 12 million
animals used in laboratories every year now moves to the Council of
Ministers. We
will not give up on them, even if many MEPs have.

This morning, in the Strasbourg Parliament, the Animal Defenders International (ADI) team have reported on the vote of MEPs, on a new directive on the use of animals for scientific purposes.

The European Commission's proposals, published November last year, have been argued over for months in committee, and have now been amended extensively.

The Commission's proposal for a 7-year phase-out of the use of primates born of wild-caught parents has been delayed indefinitely, after heavy lobbying from the primate trade and industry.

Claims that scientific research would go abroad have been shown to be false  economic data shows that the UK pharmaceutical industry has increased its trade surplus by 300% during the last 23 years  when the UK has had one of the strictest science and animal research regulatory systems in Europe. However, European MEPs worried about trade have caved in to industry demands.

MEPs have agreed, however, to bi-annual review of the use of primates.

One of the worst amendments adopted is removal of the requirement for animal experiments to be authorised by a national authority. This amendment removes all scrutiny and public accountability.

Instead of all animal experiments requiring prior authorisation or licensing, as is the case in most EU Member States, MEPs have decided that only experiments causing moderate or severe pain, or use of primates, should require authorisation. This means that 4.6 million experiments would take place in Europe each year, without public scrutiny, accountability, or prior authorisation by national authorities.

MEPs have agreed to regular reviews of the use of specific species in research.

The Commission will now consider the amendments tabled by the Parliament, before the draft directive on us of animals for scientific purposes moves on to the Council of Ministers for discussion.

Horse racing is starting to turn stomachs. Don't kid yourself,
horse racing fanatics. Your sport bothers more than PETA, which is a
good idea gone bad, a group that has marginalized itself and
minimized its message just like corner preachers scare away more
followers than they attract. This column isn't a PETA-sponsored
message, because PETA should do like so many racehorses have done
and drop dead.

But more and more of us are becoming sickened by horse racing.
The Derby is an excuse for rich snobs to put on coats and ties and
silly hats and get drunk at the track. Off the track, which is where
90 percent of the betting on horse racing really occurs, people are
wagering nearly $14 billion on a sport that means nothing to them
but a revenue stream. Horses live, horses die, but the bets must go
on.

Why? Because they've always gone on?

No. I can see it now. Horse racing won't last. It'll follow
Barbaro and Eight Belles and Raspberry Miss into the ground, and
when it does, I won't mourn the loss of a sport. I'll

on CBSSports.com. We ran what
the Daily Racing Form gave us, and what it gave us was a
mystifying story that literally refused to name the dead horse. It
mentioned the accident, but only as an inconvenience that threatened
to disrupt the workouts of the horses that were training for
Saturday's Derby. See, Raspberry Miss was only 2, not old enough for
the Derby. And therefore not worth mentioning by name.

. "Raspberry Miss" were not
among the words written. Here were some: "Without going into detail,
there was an accident which resulted in some serious injuries. It
happened right in front of us."

The story went on to describe how the accident truly seemed to
bother various trainers who witnessed it. The story wasn't
that cold. But the whole thing is odd. A horse dies at the
track, and since it's not a horse anyone has ever heard of, it gets
swept under the rug like a 1,000-pound dust ball.

Again.

From 2003-08, more than 3,000 horses have died at U.S.
racetracks. Horse racing people will talk about the odds, and defend
their sport by saying that all those deaths -- sorry,
breakdowns -- translate to one or two breakdowns per 1,000
races. Like that's an acceptable number. It's not.

Think about it. More than 3,000 horses dead at racetracks. In
five years. How many of them did you hear about? Two, maybe three?
And those 3,000-plus deaths at the track don't include the most
famous dead horse of them all, Barbaro, who died at an animal
hospital eight months after winning the 2006 Kentucky Derby. He died
from complications of a broken leg suffered at the Preakness, two
weeks after he won the Derby.

Your Turn: Reader Rip
JaCee: Doyel should go write for PETA.
Why don't you simply say "it really makes me sad to see a
horse die" and leave all the other crap out? This isn't
"sport" news you're writing, it's an editorial. You should go
get a job and get paid (or volunteer) to write for a company
or organization that meets your ethical standards.
Writer Retort
Gregg Doyel: Hey idiot. Read what I
wrote about PETA. It came later in the column, after you
obviously gave up reading because I'm a big fat meanie who
wrote something you don't agree with.
Click
here for more Community reaction

In New York alone, 637 racehorses died at the track from 2003-08.
It's possible you heard about none of them. That's a lot of dust
being swept under the rug, but how much longer will we be able to
ignore that stinking bulge?

Horse racing isn't immortal. There's no rule, no law, that says
Thou Shalt Race Horses Forever And Ever Amen. Not at all. Sports
come and go, and one of these days horse racing will be gone. Call
it evolution. Call it political correctness. Call it common sense
and dignity and compassion. I don't care what you call it, but
understand this: Over time, civilization sifts through callous
sports like cockfights and fox hunts and dwarf tossing, weeding out
the sports that turn our stomach.

Horse racing is starting to turn stomachs. Don't kid yourself,
horse racing fanatics. Your sport bothers more than PETA, which is a
good idea gone bad, a group that has marginalized itself and
minimized its message just like corner preachers scare away more
followers than they attract. This column isn't a PETA-sponsored
message, because PETA sh

Death has already come to the Kentucky Derby, so it's safe to
watch on Saturday. Death can't happen so soon again. Can it?

It can't. The odds are against it, and supporters of horse racing
are all about the odds. They can live with the number of horses
dying -- with the freaking odds -- so we'll assume they're
right. Death can't happen again this soon. So if you have even a
shred of curiosity about horse racing in general or about the Derby
itself, you might want to watch this weekend.

Because the sport won't be around forever.

Statistics for
horse deaths at tracks don't even include Barbaro, who was
euthanized at an animal hospital.(AP)
This can't go on. Horse
racing, I mean. It can't, and more to the point, it won't. It'll
take years, probably decades, but we're moving toward the day when
the Kentucky Derby is as dead as the horse who died this week at
Churchill Downs.

I can write that word, right? Died? Horse racing people
prefer other words to describe the death of a horse, like
"breakdown," as if the horse is a car. There's always another car,
right? Always another horse, too. But the word "breakdown" offends
me, because it confuses the story instead of telling it: That a
beautiful horse, one of the most spectacular creatures on this
earth, had to be injected with a fatal amount of poison to put it
out of its misery.

Well, the lucky ones get the injection.

The unlucky ones, like Raspberry Miss, die before they can be put
out of their misery.

You probably didn't hear about that, about Raspberry Miss,
because media reports tend to downplay awkward little things like
"death" at the racetrack, unless the death is so enormous that it
cannot be ignored. Such was the case last year when Kentucky Derby
favorite Eight Belles finished second and then suffered catastrophic
breaks in both her front legs and had to be killed right there on
the track.

The media couldn't downplay that death, but they could gloss over
what happened to Raspberry Miss, and so they did. It happened
Monday, while several horses were being worked out at Churchill
Downs. Raspberry Miss was standing near the finish line when a horse
named Doctor Rap dumped its jockey and careened wildly around the
track before crashing into the back of Raspberry Miss, shattering
that horse's pelvis like a piece of china. Raspberry Miss was going
to be put to sleep, which is another nice way of saying she was
going to be killed, but the shock was too great. She died horribly,
from the pain and the shock, before she ever got the needle.

Death has already come to the Kentucky Derby, so it's safe to
watch on Saturday. Death can't happen so soon again. Can it?

It can't. The odds are against it, and supporters of horse racing
are all about the odds. They can live with the number of horses
dying -- with the freaking odds -- so we'll assume they're
right. Death can't happen again this soon. So if you have even a
shred of curiosity about horse racing in general or about the Derby
itself, you might want to watch this weekend.

Because the sport won't be around forever.

Statistics for
horse deaths at tracks don't even include Barbaro, who was
euthanized at an animal hospital.(AP)
This can't go on. Horse
racing, I mean. It can't, and more to the point, it won't. It'll
take years, probably decades, but we're moving toward the day when
the Kentucky Derby is as dead as the horse who died this week at
Churchill Downs.

I can write that word, right? Died? Horse racing people
prefer other words to describe the death of a horse, like
"breakdown," as if the horse is a car. There's always another car,
right? Always another horse, too. But the word "breakdown" offends
me, because it confuses the story instead of telling it: That a
beautiful horse, one of the most spectacular creatures on this
earth, had to be injected with a fatal amount of poison to put it
out of its misery.

Well, the lucky ones get the injection.

The unlucky ones, like Raspberry Miss, die before they can be put
out of their misery.

You probably didn't hear about that, about Raspberry Miss,
because media reports tend to downplay awkward little things like
"death" at the racetrack, unless the death is so en

BOULDER, Colo.  The University of Colorado student accused of taping
her boyfriend's dog to a fridge will be allowed to spend the summer at
her mother's home in Chicago, despite the fact her mother has a dog, a
Boulder judge ruled Monday.

Abby Toll, 20, "didn't even have a traffic ticket on her record"
before her April 14 arrest on suspicion of felony animal cruelty,
defense attorney George Kokus said Monday in requesting that Toll be
allowed to leave the state.

Boulder County Judge Noel Blum granted the request, and will require
Toll to participate in a monitored sobriety program with a
Chicago-area laboratory as a condition of her $12,500 bond .

"I think the defendant's mother can look out for the family pet," Blum said.

A team of top lawyers have offered their services for free to help the
SPCA take animal abuse cases to court.

The scheme will see more than 20 Auckland QCs, senior barristers and
partners of law firms become members of a "pro bono panel of
prosecutors" that will take difficult cruelty cases.

SPCA inspectors are legally able to bring serious animal offenders
before a court. However, the society has to foot the bill for the
legal action.

From today, the team will do the work, saving the SPCA about $40,000 a year.

Stuart Grieve, QC, who recently represented broadcaster Tony Veitch,
said the initiative was a good cause and could provide some
interesting work. "I wouldn't say I was an obsessional animal lover,
but I do love dogs."

It's not like Jackie Conn needed more to do. As a detective with the
Anchorage Police Department -- Detective of the Year in 2008, in fact
-- she's in the theft unit, and there's no shortage of sticky fingers
in this town.

Plus, she's a single mother with four kids, two cats and a tiny dog
named Tank that rely on her.

So no, she didn't heap animal cruelty cases on top of her workload
because she had time on her hands. She started squeezing them in
around the edges because she loves animals and wants people who abuse
them held accountable.

Conn took on the cruelty cop role unofficially at first, then
officially as of October. She's still a theft detective, but this is
the first time APD has had a designated officer to funnel cases to.

That means fewer animal cruelty cases getting lost under the radar.

A big part of Conn's new role is increasing awareness of how animal
cruelty in a home may be a symptom of other kinds of crimes --
domestic violence and child abuse in particular.

Add bow hunting to the Sunday traditions of going to church, reading
the funny pages and watching sports.

Gov. Jon Corzine signed a bill yesterday to let archers take aim at
the Garden State's deer population on the Sunday, which has
historically been off-limits to hunters pursuing whitetail. Although
sponsored largely by legislators from districts with large deer herds,
the law received overwhelming support in both the Assembly and the
Senate.

"I think it's going to help with deer control, certainly," said
Anthony Mauro, chairman of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, an
organization of hunters, anglers and conservation groups that lobbied
heavily for the law.
...
The New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance and the Humane Society of the
United States, which oppose all hunting, had criticized the measure as
barbaric. The New Jersey Sierra Club also opposed the bill, although
the group said it supports killing deer to reduce the damage the
animals' foraging habits have had on state forests.

"We would have supported a longer deer season. For us it's not about
hunting, it's about the one day we can think about hiking and not
hunting," said Jeff Tittel of the Sierra Club. "At a time when they
are cutting the budget, we don't have enough conservation officers out
there. Do they have the resources to oversee these extra days?"

Like many
dogs introduced to new environments, Gracie was a bit hesitant when she arrived
at Sharon Cornett's home in Chesterfield County.

From the
sights, sounds and smells in the kitchen to the layouts of the various rooms,
Gracie needed some time to find a comfort zone.

"She
was a little bit shy," Cornett said. "But she quickly discovered that
sitting on the sofa was her most favorite activity."

These
days, Gracie clearly is comfortable with her home. She seems to relish her role
as the official laid-back greeter when strangers visit, and if they spend some
time being nice to her, it's only a
matter of minutes before she snuggles up in their lap.

From
Gracie's pleasant demeanor to her
hot pink collar, there is no indication of her difficult past, one rooted in
three words that make many dog lovers cringe:

Bad Newz
Kennels.

Gracie
was one of 51 dogs seized in April 2007 from the Surry County
dogfighting operation owned and bankrolled by Michael Vick.

In the
months that followed, Vick plummeted from grace, losing his job as a star NFL
quarterback and being sentenced to federal prison.

The Bad
Newz dogs, meantime, awaited their fate while housed in various shelters.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals was among the groups calling for
all the dogs to be written off as lost causes and euthanized.

But a
judge instead ordered the dogs to be evaluated for rehabilitation potential and
to be placed accordingly with various animal-care groups. Vick was directed to
pay $928,000 to a trust fund set up to care for the animals.

. . .

Now, as
Vick prepares for his July 20 release from federal custody, most of his former
dogs already have accomplished what he seeks: a successful comeback.

Forty-seven
of the dogs were saved.

Of those,
22 judged to be the most serious behavioral cases were sent to a 33,000-acre
retreat in Utah
run by Best Friends Animal Society, a group that agreed to keep the animals for
the rest of their lives, if needed.

The other
25 were divided among various animal-rescue groups to be placed in temporary
foster care until they could be adopted permanently. The bulk of those 25 went
to California.

Gracie --
part of a group of four dogs allocated to the Richmond Animal League, of which
Cornett is a board member -- is the only one of the Bad Newz dogs living in the
Richmond area.

From all
indications, Gracie was one of the lucky ones. She bears no scars that would
indicate she was involved in fighting and, unlike some of the Vick dogs, her
teeth neither have been filed down nor pulled.

Gracie,
it seems, was used exclusively as a breeder and kept in a chain-link kennel
away from the violent part of the Bad Newz operation.

Showing
no signs of aggression and every indication that she was nothing more than a
couch potato-in-waiting, Gracie was among the dogs judged ready to be placed in
foster care for adoption.

Cornett,
who took in Gracie in December 2007 from the Virginia Beach animal shelter,
quickly noticed how well the 38-pound pit bull did in the house and got along
with Cornett's two other dogs and
several cats. It became obvious, Cornett said, that Gracie already was home.

Tituss Group Dwindles 
At the Karisoke Research Center, we continue to watch the movements of
female gorillas to new groups. This time, a mother left her young son
behind in the shrinking Titus group. Find out more

ANIMAL LIBERATION YOUTH -WORKING AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY AND PANDEMICSALV's youth group, ALY organised a loud and visual protestoutside
KFC in Swanston Street on Saturday April 2. Eight young activists
dressed in bio-suits with facemasks alerting the public to the strong
connection between factory farming and global pandemics, while others
displayed three of the rescued chicks from a KFC supplier shed.

14 BIRDS SAVED FROM KFC SUPPLIER SHEDOn April 20, the ALV Openrescue team investigated a broiler chicken shed
near Bayles south-east of Melbourne. The team saved 14 five week old
chicks from shocking conditions. Some of the birds are crippled and
they were all sitting on a soggy wet manure floor. Their shed prison is
a supplier farm to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Straight after the rescue ALV submitted an urgent cruelty complaint to the Cardinia Shire Mayor and the Councillor for Port Ward.

ALV INVESTIGATION INTO CAGED DOG BREEDINGThe Sunday Herald Sun featured images taken by ALV during an undercover investigation
at a puppy farm in Gippsland. The illegal breeder (her license was not
renewed by the local council) is now being investigated by the RSPCA.
Mother dogs and their pups were kept in wire cages raised above the
floor, with only a tiny plastic 'bed' for any relief from standing,
sitting or laying on the wire floor.

On May 1st, the Phnom Penh Post
reported on the rescue of two Malayan sun bear cubs by the Wildlife
Rapid Rescue Team (WRRT). After a lengthy investigation and attempts to
rescue the bears on two previous occasions, the WRRT stormed the
trader's home, where they found the two cubs hidden inside the trader's
bathroom. Read the full story>>

Visit our Rescue Blogonline
to read about the latest in ranger patrolling of the Southwest Elephant
Corridor in the Cardamom Mountain Range; also the rescue of another
(Asiatic) bear cub now recovering at the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue
Center. To receive the latest updates on wildlife rescue and habitat
protection in Southeast Asia,subscribe to our Rescue Blog.

Pit bulls get a bad rap. I think this bad reputation stems from two distinct concepts.

First: the danger factor of any dog is created by the dogs
owner, history and upbringing. If a dog, any dog, is abused or
neglected, he learns to fend for himself. He will become overprotective
of his property, his food, his toys (if given any), etc. He will become
mean because hes afraid. Its amazing what an abusive environment does
to a dog -- any dog. Ultimately the irresponsible owner is the
catalyst for any attack the dog may make.

Second: the media decides which stories about bully dogs to
publish. They liked to talk about viscous pit bulls long before the
Michael Vick dog fighting ring was unearthed. Its easy for people who
dont know the pit bull dog breed to carry the commom misperception
that the pits are mean, hence. There are so many stories on the evening
news about children or women or small dogs getting attacked by pit
bulls. The news shows pictures of these mean pit bulls and complements
the dramatic scenes with serious tones of voice. They are setting a
stage.

The news doesnt show stories about German Shepherds or Chow Chows
attacking people. These breeds have been known to be prone to violence
by nature but the media doesnt frame them as such because the public
is already so entangled in the sensationalism of viscous pit bulls.
Sensationalism sells.

And now Ladies and Gentlemen, without further adieu I present to you the WINNER of our

MOST STUPID PERSON OF THE QUARTER AWARD: drumroll, please

Mayor James Valley, YOU are the most stupid person in America for the last quarter of 2008!

Ahhh Arkansas. Home of our favorite southern-fried, fat politicians and stereotypical big-bellied sheriffs, has yet another blossom on its dubious flower: Helena-West Helena Mayor, James Valley. Mayor Valley, agreeing that the animal control facility was little more than a Kleenex and spit shanty, made the decision to improve the lives of the poor wretches that inhabited it. Did he finally allocate the tax dollars already specified for animal control services? Did he call a single rescue or foster volunteer? Of course not! Hes a mover and a shaker, people, and wouldnt dream of doing anything so mundane. No friends, Mayor Valley in his infinite wisdom decided to give these dogs a better life by killing off the mildly ill first .then releasing the rest into the nearby, densely wooded St. Francis National Forest. One can almost hear the musical score from Born Free playing in the background. (Oh wait. Maybe thats the theme from Deliverance). Of course, dying slowly of starvation and disease or eaten by the bears and coyotes of the region is a much better alternative, right? Unfortunately, the neighbors werent too pleased with the mayors frolicking ways, and at least one of the dogs was accidentally shot on sight while aiming at the Mayor. Just kidding. (but seriously, a dog really was shot when released onto private property adjacent from the forest.)

The good news is that not everyone in Helena West-Helena is a blithering idiota warrant was issued for the Mayors arrest after Circuit Judge David Henry found reasonable cause over accusations that the Mayor obstructed the Humane Society of Southeastern Arkansas from caring for the animals. Hall-e-lu-jah.

Afterwards, one would expect at least a phony, halfhearted attempt at remorse from the mayor (he is an elected public official after all), but no. Mayor Valley is apparently steadfast in his determination to be outrageously ignorant. When asked by a reporter why the city had engaged in such cruel, criminal behavior, this glowing pillar of the community responded,  pardon the pun, but it was just somethin that was doggin us 

Ha-ha! Stop, youre killing us!

Mayor James Valley, that pompous and ignorant attitude is exactly why you are our pick for the biggest dumbass of the quarter. Way to go, genius! Your parting gift tonight is a 7-night, 6-day stay at club St. Francis National Park. (Lets see how well your fat behind fares with the local wildlife.)

You have no idea how long I have yearned to be able to have a Stupid People column somewhereanywhere! Theres so much material to work with, well heckI feel just like a kid in a candy store!But alas, only one ignoramus can win our Stupid Person of the Quarter award. So lets review the runner-ups, shall we?

In May, the friends, family, and community of seven year old Adam Byczko had finally, after mass fundraising, been able to provide him a service dog named Kita. You see, little Adam has Fragile X syndrome which causes limited speech, seizures, difficult movement, and autistic behaviors. This would all be a heartwarming tale except for one thing; when little Adam tried to bring Kita to school with him one day, access was denied. Thats rightdenied. Apparently, the schools superintendant, Richard Rege, hasnt been given an official letter stating that the presence of Kita would  prove that having the dog during the school day would in any way have a positive impact on either [Adam's] health or safety 

To which my only response is: WTF?Mr. Rege, I salute you! Being thatignorant of current therapeutical practices and managing to worm your way into a cushy Superintendants positionin Massachusetts, no less. Maaahvelous!

On August 15th a trial judge found Officer Lovejoy not guilty of animal cruelty charges in the death of his K-9 partner, Bandit. Officer Lovejoy left Bandit in his car, in the Arizona heat. In the middle of August. For 13 hours. His excuse? He forgot. For 13 hours.

The judge agreed with Lovejoys attorney who claimed the police sergeant  was negligent at best, that he completely forgot Bandit was in the SUV (and againFor Thirteen Hours!) when he returned home from an extra duty shift the death of Bandit was a tragic accident Lovejoy told the judge that himself.

Really? All by himself?Just out of curiosity Chandler AZ, dont you make sure applicants IQ test over 70 before you allow them to enter your Police Academy? I can just see the upcoming news headline now: Woman Hit By Patrol Car While Crossing Road: Officer Forgot to Apply Brakes! idiot

When
it comes to bringing awareness to the problem of the puppy mill
industry, it helps to have a voice that can reach a national audience
of animal lovers. Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan understands the importance
of education when it comes to changing behavior patterns, and when his
Inside Puppy Mills' special airs on the National Geographic channel
May 8th, it will certainly contribute to changing the behavior patterns
of anyone thinking of buying a puppy mill supplied pet ...

Switzerland - Bern's Bear Pit, for centuries a tourist attraction and a
symbol of the city, has lost its last resident to euthanasia and will
be closed for good.

**

Bern's Bear Pit dates back to at least 1513, when the chronicler
Valerius Anshelm described the Bernese Army's return from a military
victory with a living bear as booty. The animal was put in the
defensive trench along the city walls.

A new pit was created in 1764 just outside the city's former limits,
and as many as a dozen bears have lived in the 3.5-meter (11.5-foot)
deep space more or less since then as the city has expanded around it.

**

While the Bear Pit has remained a ubiquitous feature of tourist guides,
its allure had dimmed amid concerns from animal rights activists and
the public that it offered the bears little dignity. The city began
studying how to make a better home for its bears at the beginning of
the decade and construction on the new Bear Park started in 2008. It is
scheduled to open in October and will stretch over 6,000 square meters
(65,000 square feet) from the current pit to the Aare River below,
giving bears the chance to roam over a wide expanse of greenery and
catch fresh fish from the water. A wall in the river ensures they will
not be able to swim away or be carried away by the current.

Bosshard said two Scandinavian bears in Bern's Daehlhoelzli Zoo, Bjoerk and Finn, would move into the new park in October.

"The
galgo, a breed of dog native to Spain, is similar to a greyhound.
Because they have particular stamina, galgos are used to hunt rabbits
and boars on the Spanish plains. The abuse that many Spanish galgos
experience revolves around two main issues: unsanitary and inhumane
breeding in puppy mills, and the abandonment or killing of the dogs by
hunters."from "The Abuse and Abandonment of Spanish

Norwich, Conn.  Two pit bulls from Norwich were euthanized Friday, a
day after a mail carrier was hospitalized after being attacked by the
dogs.
The mail carrier, Jeff Glenn of Norwich, was listed in fair condition
with multiple bite wounds and possible broken bones at The William W.
Backus Hospital.

The 8-month-old dogs, Miracle and Fatboi, snarled from behind their
cage doors at the dog pound Friday morning. They were euthanized with
approval from their owner, David Holland Jr., 19, police said. The dogs
will be tested for rabies because they were not vaccinated, Norwich
Police Lt. William Molis said.

Records show the two dogs come from a line of vicious dogs that have
caused problems in the past, though only one complaint was made last
year from 24 Harland Place, where the two dogs lived. Molis said the
two dozen complaints that have been made about residents at that
address since 2006 were mostly for noise disturbances and reports of
suspicious activity.

Norwich Animal Control Officer Michele Kellough said she remembers the
dogs mother and father as vicious. The mother was euthanized because
of an attack and the father was the suspect in the mauling of a
Meals-On-Wheels driver.

Most of the problems are connected to upbringing, Kellough said.

People are breeding substandard pit bulls, Kellough said. Theyre a
popular breed. Its a status thing, and for some reason they attract
the wrong kind of owners.

Its the same 2 percent of dog owners that we see time and time again
with problems, she said. Its sad. Most of the pit bulls in town are
good dogs.

As many as 450 to 500 dogs pass through the cages at the Norwich dog
pound each year, some abandoned and some too vicious to be placed in
homes. Pit bulls are the most common, she said. There were two other
pit bulls in the pound Friday  one abandoned and the other to be
euthanized.

Norwich animal control deals with a sharp influx of animal-related nuisance calls this time of the year, Kellough said.

We get as many as 50 calls a day, she said.

Holland, who said the dogs chewed a hole in the back fence to escape,
was charged Thursday with two counts each of failing to vaccinate,
failure to license, allowing a dog to roam and nuisance dog with
vicious disposition.

Kellough said the fines will total $756. No criminal charges were filed.

Yi Len Wang and Xui Li Zheng own the property at 24 Harland Place. They could not be reached Friday for comment.

BLONDE, BEAUTIFUL, BALLSY Cheri Lucas (left) of Second Chance at Love
Humane Society, and Debby Sweet of Short 'n' Sweet Dog Rescue, rescue
the most challenging homeless dogs, among them (left to right) Pearl,
Roxanne, Miss Muffett, and Duke.

Debby Sweet and Cheri Lucas, the founders of Short n Sweet Dog Rescue
and Second Chance at Love Humane Society, respectively, in Templeton
are devoted to the outcasts of the animal world. Helping the
traumatized, injured, helpless, and sometimes scary strays from the
streets and the pounds green mile, their noble cause takes a lot of
dirty work. They will be beneficiaries of the upcoming Pouring Wines
for Canines & Felines event on May 14.
Im very comfortable with blood, and gore, and poop, and paralysis,
and giving shots, and whatever, Debby Sweet said. So, I can help some
animals that others may shy away from. She practically single-handedly
tends to more than 80 dogs on her 36-acre ranch. Most were rescued from
what she calls the Euth List (dogs at risk of being put to sleep by
California shelters): Her charges are primarily small, and largely ill,
handicapped, or injured. With a background in animal health, Sweet
began 15 years ago by rescuing specifically chihuahuas and Chinese
cresteds before founding the all-encompassing Rescue Alliance for
Hairless and Other Dogs in 2005.

Other would be a good description for the miscellaneous medically
challenged mutts that melt Sweets heart. Case in point: a senior
Chinese crested named Ooglee that was suffering from a malignant
carcinoma, cataracts, and a half-missing jaw. After some Short n
Sweet time (and hundreds of dollars in medical bills), Ooglee was not
only adopted, he was entered in an Ugliest Dog contest.
Cheri Lucas chosen rescues are not quite the picture of the cuddly
pup, either. Pit bulls, Rottweilers, and other tough breeds
constitute the more than 30 residents presently at her Second Chance at
Love sanctuary. Lucas walks six to eight miles a day, leading packs
five to ten dogs strong. And, in the fashion of her mentor and friend
Cesar Millan of the Dog Whisperer show, she trains these fearsome packs
to follow calmly.
Lucas has come a long way since she founded her humane society. She has
trained with the now world-famous Millan for more than ten years,
learning to not only save the lives of dogs, but to rehabilitate them
for long and fulfilled lives.

Its very fulfilling to be able to turn a dog aroundespecially one
that has the possibility of losing its home because of bad behavior,
Lucas says. Now Millans most trusted protégé, Lucas is regularly
invited to join him on his website training videos and his television
show.
Lucas emphasizes exercise and discipline before affection, and, works
to correct human behavior as much as dog behavior. In Sweets words,
dogs just bite you, its the humans who are the real obstacles.
Though both are optimistic about the countys dog population challenges
strays, over-breeding, and irresponsible and misguided owners continue
to keep both women very busy. They say more volunteers would have a
great impact on their efforts. Their dog shelters, along with North
County Humane Society, will benefit from the Pouring Wines for Canines
& Felines event on Thursday, May 14, from 5 to 8 p.m at Shadow
Canyon Cellars, 1255 Monterey St., SLO.

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,perhaps feeling the same backlash from its own members that is poppingup on message boards and chat rooms, said it is no longer in talkswith jailed former NFL superstar Michael Vick to appear inpublic-service announcements for the animal-rights group.

Dan Shannon, director of youth outreach and campaigns for PETA, toldAdAge.com the group wanted to work with Mr. Vick if the disgraced star-- due to be released from prison on May 20 after being convicted ofrunning an illegal dog-fighting ring -- was willing to take apsychological evaluation for anti-social personality disorder.

Mr. Shannon now says, "In retrospect, I feel like I didn't convey theproper tense of all of this. It was back in December of last year whenwe called on him to submit for this psychological evaluation, when weput out the ultimatum, or we're not interested in moving forward. Itdidn't happen, and we took that to mean that the talks were kind ofdead in the water."

An activist from Animal Rights Cambridge arrested under Section 5 ofthe Public Order Act for a protest inside the McDonalds restaurant inCambridge in June 2008 was found 'not guilty' today (30th April 09) ....The protest was in commemoration of the now famous Mclibel casesanniversary, that was a huge PR disaster for McDonalds. The protestersentered the restaurant and informed customers about issues regardingMcDonalds corporate practices on a range of issues. One of thecampaigners was then arrested under Section 5 of the Public Order Act.

This is a small victory for the animal rights movement that has beenunder increasing state repression. Lets take this as a collectivelift to our self-esteem said the cleared activist I'm Mcloving it!.

Every
year, more than one million purebred and "designer" dogs are born and
bred into puppy mills - often packed in tiny wire cages, neglected,
dehydrated, dirty and chronically sick with little or no human
interaction or affection- and then sold legally to pet stores
throughout the country.

LCA's Special Investigation Unit in the field with Cesar Millan

In a powerful new Dog Whisperer episode, Cesar Millan goes undercover with Last Chance for Animals'
Special Investigation Unit to witness the horrors of puppy mills
firsthand and works to rehabilitate these dogs who have never known the
world outside their overcrowded cages or learned how to interact with
humans. Watch Cesar teach the LCA team how to rehabilitate the traumatized dogs from the moment they are rescued out of their cages.

Rescued Puppy Mill Dogs

"We
are from two different points of rescuing," Cesar says of LCA, "They do
the physical rescue, I do the psychological rescue. So together it's a
team, it's a good pack. When you bring a dog into your life, please do
your homework and don't buy a dog from a puppy mill. Visit a local
shelter or rescue group instead."

Check out the premiere episode Friday, May 8th at 9pm ET/PT!

Also airs Sunday, May 10th at 6am & Friday, May 15th at 2pm

Have Your Own LCA/ Dog Whisperer House Party!

Join LCA and watch the special episode of The Dog Whisperer: Inside Puppy Mills

on Friday, May 8th at 9pm ET/PT.

Have a party at your house and raise funds to help
LCA continue to fight against puppy mills. Ask your party guests to
donate much as they can to LCA's "Ban Puppy Mills" campaign.

Take video and photos of your party and send them to Campaigns@LCAnimal.org or

Baby gorilla found in hand luggage in Congo - VideoA
baby gorilla has been seized from animal traffickers in eastern DR
Congo by the Congolese Wildlife Authority following a 3-month
undercover investigation to bust an international wildlife smuggling
ring.

1. Can Your Pet Get Swine Flu?Don't
worry, pet parents. The outbreak appears to present a low risk of
infecting cats and dogs, but owners of pet pigs, as well as farmers,
should monitor their animal's health more closely. See what our experts
have to say. Read More...

On April, 26th, in St.-Petersburg, in the building of "Sojuzpushnina"on the Moscow prospect the beginning of fur auction was expected, buta group of animal rights defenders (approximately 10 persons) hasblocked an entrance, having deprived people of possibility to getinside the building. Five activists have chained themselves to thefront entrance doors. They held a banner "Fur is murder!", becausethat day 170 thousand skins which have been torn off the animals wereexposed on the auctions.

Security guards of the building have tried to stop the action, but ithas become possible to unblock an entrance only when the police squadarrived. Five defenders of animals were delivered in 29 policestation.

Animal rights activists have decided to prevent an International FurAuction, because for exhibiting at these auctions, thousand animalsare deprived of their lives on fur farms or in the wild nature. On theRussian farms, usually they are being killed with poison, and in thewoods they are caught with traps, which are forbidden to use inRussia, but in some regions this restriction does not work.

It not the first blockade of a building by animal defenders. In 2005they have begun a campaign against "Sojuzpushnina" and also haveblocked an entrance. This time they have declared again that while furtrade proceeds, they won't stop their actions. Since 2005, during eachauction (3-4 times a year), animal defenders simultaneously suitactions of protest in different cities of Russia. Their purpose is toclose "Sojuzpushnina" as a vestige of the past.

Update on HoneyRecently, North Shore Animal League America
introduced you to Honey who had been terribly abused and
neglected. Only about half her normal body weight when she came
to us, Honey was in serious condition. Since then, numerous
inquiries have come in about Honey. It is certainly plain to see
that she has captured your hearts the same way she has stolen
ours. Here is an update on our sweet girl and the frightening
and amazing journey she is on...Read
Honey's Update

Live
pigs shipped from the Mainland are still walking off or being hauled
off long-distance containers to be slaughtered and sold as fresh pork
on O'ahu and other islands here.

Until public outcry a year ago, this same meat was deceptively
labeled "Island Produced," "Island Pork," and "Made in Hawai'i."

O'ahu
newspapers carried several full-page public service announcements for
animal protection organizations one year ago. These announcements asked
Hawai'i to stop this cruel and unnecessary practice for good, and urged
retailers and suppliers to consider purchasing chilled or frozen pork,
which would include whole carcasses.

It has not happened.

As
consumers, we can speak or write to the store manager or owners of our
favorite supermarkets asking they not carry this product or kalua pork
made from this product.

It is up to the mercy of Hawai'i stores
and consumers to stop this unnecessary suffering as there are no
regulations to prevent them from being shipped. There is certainly no
aloha in any part of this practice.

As MEP's prepare to vote next month on proposals to update Europe's animal experiments directive, animal advocates are taking to cyber-space to demonstrate public support for strengthening the legislation covering animal experiments.

BOSTON -- Animal cruelty convictions will stand against a former
Beacon Hill woman who kept one dog and five cats without food in
unsanitary conditions at an apartment she rented, Suffolk County
District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said Thursday.

Heidi Erickson was convicted in 2003 on six counts of animal cruelty
involving five cats and a dog. Police also found 60 dead cats and
several other neglected live animals in her feces-filled Beacon Hill
apartment.

Rolla, Mo. - Sixty-nine dogs and puppies were rescued Tuesday from
what officials are calling an unlicensed and substandard puppy mill
located just south of Rolla.

Citing too few cages and filthy conditions, representatives from the
Humane Society of Missouri Animal Cruelty Task Force removed the dogs
and puppies from a breeding facility located 1-1/2 miles south of
Rolla in the 10000 block of County Road 5160.

Assisted by the Phelps County Sheriffs Department, which served a
search warrant to the unidentified owners of the facility, officials
with the task force said they found miniature schnauzers, poodles,
Pekinese, cocker spaniels, beagles and Yorkshire terriers on the
property, a number of which appeared in need of veterinary and
grooming care.

Tamira Ci Thayne
journeyed to Texas to testify for Senate Bill (S 634, a bill in the
Texas legislature to strengthen the state's current anti-chaining
law. The bill would have prohibited a person from leaving a dog alone
on a chain or tether. It would also require a minimum of 150 square
feet of space for a dog being kept in an outdoor enclosure. However,
the bill was thrown out in committee. Approximately 15 people who
wanted to continue chaining their dogs showed up to speak, stating
things like: "I have champion pit bulls, who LOVE it on the end of the
chain. Yes, they are happy."

And "We don't allow our four year
old to go within the circle made by our dog's chain, because we know
what could happen (wait, isn't that proving OUR point?)"

And "Chaining is actually a very appropriate way to keep your dog, and the safest way..."

Now,
if you think this all is a load of crap, then you HAVE to start showing
up for your state and local legislation efforts! Right now the
opposition, who doesn't really have a leg to stand on, is winning
because we aren't showing up.

Therefore, the state passed
last session remains in force, and this line is what allows people to
continue chaining despite seeming time limits:

UNLAWFUL
RESTRAINT OF DOG. (a) An owner may not leave a dog outside and
unattended by use of a restraint that unreasonably limits the dog's
movement:

Huh? Who's to say what unreasonably limits the movements?

Texas
Dogs Deserve Better Representatives are shaking off the upset and are
ready to work with Texas communities using the state law, which is only
a base guideline, to strengthen individual city ordinances against 24/7
chaining of backyard dogs. Tamira Ci Thayne then went to Asheville,
North Carolina to testify against tethering there.

In this case,
animal advocates were amazingly present due to Chain Free Asheville's
efforts, and city council has now given Chain Free Asheville and the
Chief of Police 60 days to hammer out a revised ordinance. The citizen
support made the difference for the chained dogs of Asheville.

The tenure of Ed Boks as General Manager of Los Angeles Animal
Services (LAA has been marked by an agenda of punitive legislation and
enforcement that saw dog deaths increase 24%, while cat deaths increased 35%. It
has also been marked by (thankfully failed) efforts to abolish the low-cost
spay/neuter voucher program and to institute cat
licensingwhich would have increased the killing rate even further. His resignation offers the
Mayor an opportunity to move in a new direction, as the single biggest factor
for lifesaving success or failure is who runs the shelters in any given
community.

Despite taking in over three times the number of animals per
capita than the City of Los Angeles, Washoe County, NV is now saving 90% of dogs
and 86% of all cats. This followed the hiring of new directors passionate about
saving lives and committed to implementing the programs and services which make
it possible. In addition, a new director at Washoe County Regional Animal
Services is working with community stakeholders to increase their already
impressive 60% return to owner rate for stray dogs and 7% for stray
cats.

For that level of success to come to Los Angeles, the job
description must be as inclusive as possible. Rather than prior experience
running a shelter, the job description should list skills which can be
transferred to the shelter environment. Too often, prior experience running a
shelter means a history of killing.

Second, the job announcement/description must put saving lives
on at least equal footing with public health. If Los Angeles wants a new General
Manager who is compassionate, dedicated to improving animal care, and committed
to reducing killing, it must demand those characteristics in its
recruitment.

Third, the Mayor must remember that while he is the elected
steward, the shelters do not belong to him. Municipal shelters are doing what
they are doing in our name: they are doing it with our taxes, with our
donations, as agencies representing us, and they are even blaming us (and our
neighbors) for doing it by claiming they have no choice because of the publics
irresponsibility. In short, they belong to the people. It is therefore incumbent
on the Mayor to convene a committee of animal welfare advocates in the city to
interview and help select the next candidate. The Committee must include a
broadnot hand-picked by the Mayorcross section of the animal protection
community to interview candidates and recommend the next General Manager. When I
was hired in Tompkins County, I was not just interviewed by those in power. I
was also interviewed by volunteers, by rescue groups, by critics of the shelter.
And that is what Los Angeles requires as well.

Fourth, although we are picking up the tab and these shelters
are supposed to (but often fail) to reflect our values, we are not paying the
ultimate price. That is being paid by the animals who are unfortunate enough to
enter U.S. shelters and lose their lives as a result. And so any job description
must include a commitment to the No Kill philosophy and a commitment to
implementing the programs and services which make it possible.

Fifth, the Mayor must give the General Manager the authority to
renegotiate a union contract that currently and unacceptably makes it incredibly
difficult to fire those who harm animals and consistently underperform. No
longer should the City Attorney have sole authority to negotiate (read: rubber
stamp) union contracts for animal services, which are deemed less important than
for those of other city services.

Finally, Ive said this before but it bears repeating until
someone in the community champions it. In order to achieve and sustain No Kill,
we must move past a system where the lives of animals are subject to the
discretion and whims of shelter leaders or government bureaucrats. Currently, No
Kill is succeeding in those communities with individual shelter leaders who are
committed to achieving it and to running shelters consistent with the programs
and services which make it possible. Unfortunately, such leaders are still few
and far between. And when that leader leaves, the vision can quickly be
doomed.

For No Kill success to be widespread and long lasting, we must
move past the personalities and focus on institutionalizing No Kill by giving
shelter animals the rights and protections afforded by law. Every successful
social movement results in legal protections that codify expected conduct and
provide protection against future conduct that violates normative values. We
need to regulate shelters in the same way we regulate hospitals and other
agencies which hold the power over life and death.

SEOUL,
South Korea (AP)  South Korean scientists say they have engineered
four beagles that glow red using cloning techniques that could help
develop cures for human diseases. The four dogs, all named "Ruppy"  a
combination of the words "ruby" and "puppy"  look like typical beagles
by daylight.

But they glow red under ultraviolet light, and the dogs' nails and
abdomens, which have thin skins, look red even to the naked eye.
Seoul National University professor Lee Byeong-chun, head of the
research team, called them the world's first transgenic dogs carrying
fluorescent genes, an achievement that goes beyond just the glowing
novelty.

"What's significant in this work is not the dogs expressing red colors
but that we planted genes into them," Lee told The Associated Press on
Tuesday.
His team identified the dogs as clones of a cell donor through DNA
tests and earlier this month introduced the achievement in a paper on
the Web site of the journal "Genesis."

Scientists in the U.S., Japan and in Europe previously have cloned
fluorescent mice and pigs, but this would be the first time dogs with
modified genes have been cloned successfully, Lee said.

He said his team took skin cells from a beagle, inserted fluorescent
genes into them and put them into eggs before implanted them into the
womb of a surrogate mother, a local mixed breed.

Six female beagles were born in December 2007 through a cloning with a
gene that produces a red fluorescent protein that make them glow, he
said. Two died, but the four others survived.

The glowing dogs show that it is possible to successfully insert genes
with a specific trait, which could lead to implanting other,
non-fluorescent genes that could help treat specific diseases, Lee said.

The scientist said his team has started to implant human
disease-related genes in the course of dog cloning, saying that will
help them find new treatments for genetic diseases such as Parkinson's.
He refused to provide further details, saying the research was still
under way.

A South Korean scientist who created glowing cats in 2007 based on a
similar cloning technique said that Lee's puppies are genuine clones,
saying he had seen them and had read about them in the journal.

"We can appraise this is a step forward" toward finding cures for human
diseases, said veterinary professor Kong Il-keun at South Korea's
Gyeongsang National University. "What is important now is on what
specific diseases (Lee's team) will focus on."

Lee was a key aide to disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk, whose
breakthroughs on stem cell research were found to have been made using
faked data. Independent tests, however, later proved the team's dog
cloning was genuine.

Ive really never seen so many cats, said a worker at Manhattan Animal Care Center. Photo: GRAHAM WOOD/METRO

The bright side

Since the intake of cats has been going up  the increase primarily
comes from strays  the center has been adopting them out at a higher
rate. And a special deal the center is promoting is helping  adopt one
cat, get the second for free. We just want them to have homes,
Gentles said.

430K

Average number of kittens a female cat can give birth to in a
seven-year period, Gentles said. The average litter is about four to
six kittens.

The next time you go into an animal shelter, listen hard. Even
the loudest woof from the biggest dog might be drowned out by the
growing chorus of little meows.

Thats because the population of cats seems to be getting larger every year.

The feline mating season begins with the first thaw of the year and
ends with the first frost. But as global warming brings spring a little
earlier and pushes winter later into the year, cats mating seasons are
getting longer and an explosion in the population of newborn kittens is
putting a massive strain on animal shelters.

In the first week of April, the Manhattan Animal Care Center in New
York City was already nearly filled to capacity with mothers and their
litters  and theres still a good six months left in the mating season.

Richard Gentles, director of administrative services for Animal Care
and Control of New York City, first noticed an uptick in feline intake
five years ago.

I thought I was seeing a lot more cats coming through here, and I thought it was a little strange, Gentles said.

So he began to document the year-to-year increase in 2004. And what
he found over the next five seasons was just what he thought.

In 2004, the center took in 25,609 cats, according to Gentles
records. By the end of last year, it was taking in over 2,000 more.

Its very quickly becoming a critical situation, Gentles said.

The center has partnered with the city to sponsor spay and neutering
programs to try and keep the population of kittens under control.
Gentles said it helps, but intake is rising so rapidly that they
sometimes have to resort to other means.

[At the height of the season], we euthanize maybe five or six
[cats] a day. Sometimes its because theyre sick, but sometimes its
because we dont have the room [to house them]. Its heartbreaking.

Your
response has been overwhelming! Buck by buck you have raised over
$126,000.00 to help construct fencing needed to provide space for
Nicolas! It's amazing what happens when a community of educated
compassionate people decide to give just a little.

This
week Nic greeted over 150 attendees to the Summit for the Elephants
conference. He trumpeted,rumbled,played in the water and masterfully
walked up and down the hill.

Sadly,
The Summit brought new evidence of the abuse and neglect suffered by
bull elephants in captivity. We are begging you to stay involved.

As
guardians of these majestic animals we need to make sure the 90 bull
elephants currently in captivity in the United States are monitored and
that they have a place to go where they will not be deprived of
food,chained and bred.

This will be a daunting task. We Desperately need your help.

If
there is anything you need, questions you would like answered or just
to check in please call me at 209-745-2606 or email me at
tross@pawsweb.org.

Follow our Bucks for Bulls Campaign on Facebook and share with others how you generated interest in Buck for Bulls.

Thank you for your involvement and devotion and please stay involved. Every buck makes a difference.

Seahawk Aaron Curry that is. It turns out the newly drafted Curry has a love besides football, his black lab Ali.

He made a promise that the first thing he was going to do after
signing a pro contract would be to get another dog. The great news is
he kept his promise and got a new pup, and because of his love of dogs
there may be more additions in the future.

When I get older,
Im going to get dogs, and theyll be my dogs, and nobody will tell me
what to do with them, a teenaged Curry said to his mom.

He used to bring home strays  his mom remembers a dalmatian and a
cocker spaniel in particular  and give them a temporary place to stay
while permanent homes were found.

He just loves dogs, his mom said.

Last month his fiancee, Jamila, gave him a yellow lab and Chesapeake
retriever mix for his birthday. Luckily, Jamila is also a dog lover
because if she wasnt I dont think she would have accepted his
marriage proposal.

They were leaving her apartment last month when a small
package arrived. Curry took the package and went back inside. He came
out and asked Jamila to check Lailas kennel, telling her it was her
turn to clean up the pups mess.

So she did. And there in the back of the kennel was an open box with her engagement ring.

Curry dropped to one knee and proposed. Then he apologized to her,
saying, Sorry it wasnt more romantic like all the people on TV.

But she thought it was perfect because it included their dogs.

Im a dog lover, too, Jamila said. It was unique to us both.

Im thinking the cleaning out the dog cage proposal wouldnt work
with everyone. Luckily in this case it worked out perfect. The couple
is now house hunting in Seattle, their main priority being a fenced in
yard.

I want to thank Buddyfor barking this story to me so we can help make sure Sadie gets justice. In La Crescent, WI a couple is charged in the death of their neighbors dog.

Criminal charges accuse the Blanks neighbors, Scott and
Tammy Bailey, of pouring antifreeze into a bowl of food scraps March 10
to discourage the dog from returning to their yard, according to the
criminal complaint.

The Baileys, both 30 and of 416 S. Sixth St. in La Crescent, made
initial appearances Monday in Houston County District Court in
Caledonia, Minn., on charges of cruelty to animals causing death and
poisoning animals. The couple returns to court May 29.

Sadie was unresponsive on the backyard deck when Blank came home from work March 11.

She looked like she was drunk, Blank said. I picked her up, and she fell over.

A veterinarian diagnosed Sadie with antifreeze poisoning and ordered
an IV before the onset of seizures and kidney failure, Blank said.

Investigate the neighbors, he told officers. Rod Blank believed the
Baileys had filed a police report when Sadie wandered into their yard
last fall.

Frustrated by Sadies frequent trespassing, garbage raids and a
recent incident in which she stole meat from their grill, Scott Bailey
left a cup of antifreeze in a bowl near the backyard grill, the
complaint stated.

The Baileys attorney, Tim Guth, said Scott Bailey thought the smell
of the antifreeze would discourage the animal from intruding.

Sadie had removed the same bowl, filled with food scraps, from the garbage in the backyard, Guth said.

The poisoning was unintentional, the Baileys told police.

For seven years there has been an ongoing dispute between the
neighbors. The Baileys claim that Sadie was always getting into their
backyard and stealing things, which the Blanks adamantly deny. The
attorney for the Baileys stated that his client put out the antifreeze
because he thought the smell would discourage the animal from intruding.

The Blanks remembered Sadie as loving and loyal, a dog
that made friends with special-needs students at La Crescent Elementary
School and enjoyed camping.

She was always happy to see you, Rod Blank said.

While it is the responsibility of the pet owner to keep their dog
secured in the yard I realize escapes happen. Weve dealt with our own Hairy Houdinifor
many years, luckily we can outrun him now. That being said, it doesnt
give someone the right to knowingly put out a poison that will kill an
animal. While the Baileys told police they thought the smell would keep
Sadie away I have to believe everyone knows antifreeze has a sweet
smell which attracts animals, making it that much more dangerous.
Couple that with the fact it was in a bowl with food scraps makes it
hard to believe what happened was unintentional.

No one has the right to kill someones pet because it has become an annoyance. I hope the Houston County Attorneytakes this crime seriously and gives it the proper attention it deserves.

As far as I can tell, it looks like he was doing something in Gainesville as far as the anti chaining laws ( limiting weight and actual time outside) but not much with regards to anything negative that I can see. Looks like he should be okaye....hope it helps.

Okaye Sue....I found out that he left Broward Co because of mismanagement on the part of Chavez.......here's one story as a for instance

Can't help wondering about this ... in the Fall I turned in a stray
hound dog, after investing time and money into postings in several
newspapers and placing calls to breed specific organizations because
the dog was a full-blooded Plott Hound, and after being told by 3
separate shelter workers that Alachua County's shelter was a 'No-kill'
facility, and by one other employee that the county kills all animals
after 3 days holding. Rest assured, we'd have found some means to
preserve that beautiful animal IF we had not been given such
reassurances. It was horrible to make the daily call to check on him
and hear, "He was put down yesterday." Hopefully Sim departed abruptly
after hearing conflicting policy statements down there, too -- or that
they are a no-kill and he didn't like that. Either way, who's to know?
Just know I don't like being mislead, and doubly dislike it when I've
been, shall I say, misinformed.

WE WANT CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!GET RID OF ONE BETH CHAVEZ AND STOP THE KILLING OF INNNOCENT ANIMALS.THE COMMISSIONERS COULD CARE LESS,THE FAT CAT ADMININSTRATORS BACK UPBETH CHAVEZCAN YOU BLAME RAY SIM... WHO COULDWORK UNDER THIS BIG LOSER!!!!!!!!!!

Starting Friday, the powerful popular breed that's sometimes trained to
be violent is banned from all apartments run by the city Housing
Authority.

"Finally someone is realizing that these potentially dangerous animals
have no place in a confined urban space," said City Councilman Peter
Vallone (D-Queens), who has unsuccessfully lobbied state legislators to
ban the dogs.

The Housing Authority regulations also bar residents from owning any
dog over 25 pounds. The current policy allows dogs that weigh up to 40
pounds. In addition, owning Rottweilers and Doberman pinschers also is
banned under the new rules.

Housing Authority residents who already have the breeds will be able to keep them as long as they register by Friday.

City housing officials said residents urged them to ban the dogs that they claim are too vicious and threatening.

But dog lovers who have pit bulls and the other targeted pooches are upset.

"He's my baby," Jose Hernandez, 32, who lives in the Lillian Wald
Houses on the lower East Side, said of his 6-year-old pit bull,
Chopper. "These are not bad dogs."

"It all depends on how you teach a dog," said Anthony Nieves, 37, as he
walked his 1-year-old pit bull, Storm, near his home at the Wald Houses.

"My dog is like a puppy," Nieves said.

The ASPCA and other groups opposed to the ban have been working with the city housing agency to ease some of the restrictions.

"We are opposed to breed-specific bans," said Michelle Villagomez, ASPCA senior manager of advocacy and campaigns.

"And we find the weight restriction is too oppressive. So many breeds
are over 25 pounds. You can get an overweight beagle that weighs more
than 25 pounds."

Barc in Houston has just hired a New Bureau Chief and Nicole Sica at Poocini.com is trying to find out about his history. Part of that history is in Florida. Do you or anyone else have any contacts that might know about him. This was Nicole's post:

Folks, BARC has announced they have hired a new Bureau Chief - Ray Sims. Mr.Sims, has recently come from El Paso, but has spent his previous two jobs inFlorida. I am trying to find out what the rescue community thought of Mr. Simsin those areas. If you would please pass this along to all of your Florida or ElPaso contacts, I would be most grateful. Have them contact me directly if theyhave any personal knowledge, editor@poocini.com.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the
disease vector is a type of fly that reproduces in pig
waste.

As the world nervously watches the unfolding story of a possible
Swine Flu pandemic, information has surfaced that may link the
virus back to large pig commercial pig farms along Mexico's
coastline. According to an article published on Grist,
researchers believe that contamination of near-by watersheds
created a breeding ground for flies, which in turn transmitted
various influenza pathogens back to the pigs where they
recombined into the current strain causing the outbreak. This
theory is consistent with the findings of a Pew Commission Report on Commercial
Farming, that was published last year. Large commercial pig
farms have also resulted in contamination of coastal waters in
popular surfing areas such as Puerto Escondido, Mexico and Cape
Hatteras, North Carolina.

Bubonic plague. AIDS. Yellow fever. Some of
the greatest scourges mankind has ever faced and those that may yet
spark a pandemic, such as bird flu all originated as infectious agents
in animals that then made the jump into human beings. Its no accident
that close contact between man and rats in medieval towns led to the
Black Death, and that people hunting primates in the African bush
provided an avenue for AIDS to spread throughout the world.What if
scientists could identify the next killer bacteria or virus before it
struck humans? Nathan Wolfe writes about how this early detection may
be possible in the April issue of Scientific American. Wolfe is a
professor of biology at Stanford University and director of the Global
Viral Forecasting Initiative, an effort to take stock of animal
diseases in hotbeds of human-animal proximity the jungles of Africa and
southeast Asia, for example and to monitor local people for what germs
they carry that came from the wild.In this video from the
Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) Conference, Wolfe explains how
the hunting of primates in Africa for their bushmeat by the
poverty-stricken represents a prime way for new diseases to cross over. Read more >> and watch the presentation on this video >>

It was the dead of winter and the grass was eaten down to the ground - there was no sign of edible hay anywhere
on the Keating's North Carolina pasture. Eight horses - one pregnant
mare, three mares with babies, and a stallion - had been eating bark
off of trees in a desperate attempt to get something into their
stomachs.

Rain, one of the eight horses
would die from the Keatings' neglect, but thanks to the action of a
concerned neighbor, the seven surviving horses were seized and are now
recovering at the United States Equine Rescue League sanctuary. On the
heels of their rescue, ALDF filed a lawsuit against Michael, Judy and Gayle Keating, the three individuals responsible for these horses' well-being.

Using a
North Carolina law that gives animal protection organizations the right
to rescue animals in cases of extreme abuse, ALDF is seeking permanent custody of all of the surviving horses and requesting that these abusers not be allowed to acquire any new animals for as long as the law will allow.

Take
the time and think how it must feel to be left in a shelter and no one
wants you This happens every day to hundreds of dogs all over the
country; left, abandoned. Take a moment to look in their eyes

European
ambassadors approved a European Union plan to ban imports of furs and
other products from culled seals on Friday, moving the 27-nation bloc
one step closer to a trade clash with Norway and Canada.

Both
seal-hunting nations have warned the EU in recent weeks that they could
challenge the EU ban at the World Trade Organisation, the global trade
watchdog, if it takes shape as currently foreseen.

"Nothing
should now stand in the way of this ban being adopted," said an
official from the EU's Czech presidency, which brokered a deal this
week that will exclude hunts by the Inuit........

The Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society has lost a ship but we are winning the war to save the
seals.

On Friday the
European ambassadors approved a European Union proposal to ban imports of furs
and all seal products. This moves the 27 nation bloc much closer to the final
decision to impose the ban and final approval now is really only a
formality.

Canada
and Norway are threatening a
trade war with Europe but Canada needs trade with Europe far more than
Europe needs seal products.
Canadians in the non-barbaric
industries will not have much patience in losing profits in defence of the
slaughter of seals.

Canada
and Norway are threatening to
take Europe before the World Trade
Organization.

However, "Nothing should now stand in the way of this ban being adopted," said an
official from the EU's Czech presidency, which brokered a deal this week that
will exclude hunts by Inuits. "It needs to go before the European Parliament in
May, but that should be a formality because parliament negotiators have already
agreed to it informally," the official added.

Canada, Greenland and Namibia account for around 60 percent
of the 900,000 seals hunted each year.

According to the Guardian newspaper, the Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere wrote to EU
trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton this month arguing that the ban broke the
principle of free trade and set a dangerous precedent on the harvesting of
renewable resources.

A European official said the Commission
believed the plan was "legally sound".

The 15 seal species now hunted are not
endangered but European politicians
demanded action after finding what they said was evidence that many are skinned
while still conscious. The animals are usually first shot or bludgeoned over the
head with a spiked club known as a hakapik.

Russia banned the hunting of baby harp seals
last month, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called it a "bloody
industry".

The Sea Shepherd ship Farley Mowat was seized by the
Canadian government in an act of
piracy in April 2008 and was auctioned off with secret bids this month without
the ship ever having been arrested, charged with any offence, without a court
hearing, without a summons and without due process of law.

Apparently the ship was auctioned off on
April 21st but the government has not released any information on who
the ship will be given to. Sea Shepherd intends to take legal action against the
buyer on the grounds that the Farley Mowat is the property of the
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and was never legally forfeited.

Sea Shepherd officers Captain
Alex Cornelissen and 1st
Officer Peter Hammarstedt were
charged with the crime of breaking the Seal Protection Regulations by
documenting and witnessing the killing of seal pups.

They are scheduled to appear in court on
April 27th but Canadian
Immigration officials ordered them deported last April and informed them they
are inadmissible to re-enter Canada.

This is very convenient, said Captain
Paul Watson. Canada will be
able to seize $10,000 in bail money and will avoid the embarrassment of the
trial and they will accuse our crew of refusing to appear. But they cant appear
in court in Canada if they
are not allowed to enter Canada.

However despite the hassles and the loss
of a ship that the Society was going to retire anyway, the publicity

Dog-fighting videos at heart of Supreme Court caseThe
court will consider a law that bans the sale or possession of photos or
videos of animals being harmed or mutilating one another. Free speech
and animal cruelty are issues at stake in the case.By David G. SavageApril 20, 2009

Reporting from Washington -- The Supreme Court
agreed today to take up an unusual free-speech case to decide whether
the government can make it a crime to sell or own videos portraying dog
fighting or other acts of animal cruelty.

All 50 states have
laws against animal cruelty, and a decade ago, Congress made it illegal
to sell or possess photos or videos of animals being maimed, mutilated,
tortured, wounded or killed. The aim was to combat an underground trade
in videos that showed dogs fighting or mauling other animals.

The law included exceptions for depictions with serious religious, scientific or artistic value.

Last year, however, a federal appeals court in Philadelphia declared the rarely used law unconstitutional on 1st Amendment grounds. The judges said the protection for free speech includes depictions of even illegal activity.

There
are only a few exceptions to this rule, the judges noted. One is child
pornography. It is always illegal to sell or own pornography that
features children. The appeals court said it was unwilling to create a
new category of expression that is unprotected by the 1st Amendment.

The ruling overturned the conviction and three-year prison term of Robert J. Stevens, a Virginia man who sold several videos of pit bulls
fighting and viciously attacking other animals. One gruesome scene
portrayed the dogs ripping off the jaw of a pig. Stevens had advertised
his pit-bull videos in Sporting Dog Journal, which the government
described as an underground journal that reports on illegal dog fights.

Stevens
sold the videos to federal agents in Pittsburgh in 2003, and he was
prosecuted there. He was the first person convicted under the law that
made it a crime to sell dog-fighting and other such videos.

Government
lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court and urged the justices to revive
the law. "Graphic depictions of torture and maiming of animals . . .
have little or no expressive content or redeeming societal value, and
Congress has compelling reasons for prohibiting them," the lawyers said
in their appeal. Animal cruelty has "no place in a civilized society,"
and the law should punish those who profit from it, they said.

The high court voted to hear the government's appeal, which will be argued in the fall.

The Animal Welfare Department receiving an average of 10 reports ofanimal cruelty a day, which shows the public is becoming increasinglysensitive to the issue.

Department director Mario Spiteri said: "Not every report or complaintis justified, because some people have become overzealous in theirmission. But we investigate each complaint and we're unearthing someawful cases."

The media coverage given to certain cases - such as last Friday's raidon the backyard of a Birkirkara residence where 25 fox terriers werefound cooped up in chicken cages without access to water - have helpedup the ante.

District police are investigating the 43-year-old owner fromBirkirkara who would not disclose why he was keeping the dogs incages, other than saying they were "ferocious".

However, the authorities are suspecting the dogs were being bred to beused as bait and sparring partners for fighting dogs.

Before Honda pricked up its ears recently, the auto industryhad been slow to recognize that dog owners spend billions ofdollars annually on their pets.

Beginning this fall, a new dog owners' option package willbecome available on Honda's Element SUV. Designed jointly byHonda & Takata, a manufacturer of auto safety equipment, thepackage includes a foldable ramp to help dogs up to the reardoor and a cushioned fabric enclosure in the rear cargo area.

A smaller enclosure is designed to allow a pet to ride in theback seat without lurching forward when the driver applies thebrakes. Honda said the dog enclosures are firmly secured tohelp protect pets from injury in collisions and prevent themfrom injuring occupants.

Also included in what Honda calls the Dog Friendly Element isa spill-resistant water bowl, a rear fan near the dog enclosureand second-row seat covers and washable floor mats with a bonepattern. The exterior of these Elements will have badges saying"Dog Friendly."

Honda has not set a price for the dog option package.Pete Szilagyi - Austin Statesman"

If a person sells an image that depicts an actual  as opposed tosimulated  act of animal cruelty, should he be subject to criminalprosecution?

That is a question the United States Supreme Court has agreed to decide....Congress bill to make the sale of animal-cruelty images illegal wassigned into law by President Bill Clinton. Now the law is beingchallenged by a Virginia man who was convicted in 2005 of sellingvideos depicting actual scenes of pit bulls fighting each other and offighting pigs....Our view is that the law should stand as written. There are rare formsof expression that are not protected by the First Amendment, and sofar no court has given credence to extreme, hypothetical arguments....The solicitor general will defend the federal law on the grounds thatdepictions of the intentional infliction of suffering on vulnerablecreatures play no essential role in the expression of ideas. We hopethe Supreme Court agrees.

Being L.A. top dog catcher has turned into City Hall's most difficult-- and politically charged -- job.

Just ask Ed Boks, who on Friday resigned as the general manager of theLos Angeles Department of Animal Services effective June 30, 3 1/2years after he got the position.

Almost from the moment he took over, he was criticized for the way heran the shelter system. Animal advocates accused him of manipulatingthe department's statistics on euthanasia, decried as hokey some ofhis attempts at publicity (the most infamous was a canceled fundraiserinvolving the Hooters restaurant chain) and lambasted him for notdoing more to find homes for unwanted animals languishing in shelters.

LOS ANGELES, California -- On Earth Day on
Wednesday, Dr. David Jentsch marched at the head of a column of UCLA
students and faculty members to the chant of, "Stand up for science!"
Across the street a smaller but equally vocal group of animal rights
advocates chanted, "U-C-L-A, how many animals have you killed today!"

Until recently, Jentsch had never dreamed he would lead a political
demonstration. But Jentsch's life took a sharp turn last month when his
car was firebombed in his driveway. A radical group of animal rights
activists claimed responsibility for the act.

"This is terror," Jentsch said. "There is no two ways about it. It's extremism. It's an attempt to intimidate."

It was the latest in a string of arson attacks against UCLA researchers
who use animals in medical research projects. Since 2006, there have
been seven attacks aimed at researcher's homes or cars. No arrests have
been made in the cases, which are being investigated by an FBI lead
task force on terrorism.

"We believe it's just a matter of time before someone is going to be
hurt," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Salvador Hernandez. "The
intent of these groups is to intimidate and coerce."

Hernandez heads up the task force investigating the series of attacks and says their actions qualify as terrorist attacks.

"The reason these people are doing it is because they have been
pushed ... nobody is listening ... over a hundred million animals a
year are killed in universities and major hospitals in this country,"
he said.

Jentsch argues that same medical research using lab animals has lead to many medical breakthroughs that benefit mankind.

Jentsch says that he hopes that this week's dueling
demonstrations can lead to a dialogue. He believes many of the
protestors voicing opposition to the UCLA labs do not endorse the
string of violent acts aimed against him and other researchers, "but it
is essential for them to repudiate this type of activity."

In the meantime, Jentsch says he refuses to be intimidated.

"I'm going to continue to live where I live, continue to educate people about my work," he said. "I'm not going to stop."